The Necromancer

By

"Lorenz Flammenberg"
(Karl Friedrich Kahlert )

Translated by T. Dutton

First published 1793

Published by the Ex-classics Project, 2021
http://www.exclassics.com
Public Domain
Lorenz Flammenberg

-2-
 The Necromancer

Introduction
In Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey the central character, Catherine Morland,
has read too many Gothic novels, and under their influence imagines the abbey to
conceal lurid secrets. She discusses them with her friend:

“Dear creature! how much I am obliged to you; and when you have finished Udolpho,
we will read The Italian together; and I have made out a list of ten or twelve more of
the same kind for you.”
“Have you, indeed! How glad I am! — What are they all?”
“I will read you their names directly; here they are, in my pocket-book. Castle of
Wolfenbach, Clermont, Mysterious Warnings, Necromancer of the Black Forest,
Midnight Bell, Orphan of the Rhine, and Horrid Mysteries. Those will last us some
time.”
“Yes, pretty well; but are they all horrid, are you sure they are all horrid?”
“Yes, quite sure; for a particular friend of mine, a Miss Andrews, a sweet girl, one of
the sweetest creatures in the world, has read every one of them.”

Our friend Nina Zumel has tracked down the original English version of The
Necromancer of the Black Forest, translated by T. Dutton. She has given its complex
publication history on her blog, at
https://darktalessleuth.wordpress.com/2021/01/17/notes-on-the-astrologer-of-the-
nineteenth-century/

-3-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

The Necromancer
Blustering winds and chilling rain proclaimed the unwelcome approach of
winter; yellow Autumn saw her leafy honours fall to the ground; loud roared the
storm across the Elbe, whose ruffled waves curled to the boisterous breath of Æolus.
No more the silent grove resounded with the voice of harmony and love. In hollow
trees or moss-bemantled walls the feathered songsters sought shelter from the rude
unfriendly blast. The raven alone, from some sequestered tower, mixed his hoarse
notes with the hoarser cries of the ominous bird of night. Safe in his peaceful cot, the
honest husbandman relaxed his wonted toils, and, whilst his well-fed fire defended
him from the inclemency of the weather, enjoyed in sweet tranquillity the fruits of his
former labour.
After a long-lamented absence of more than thirty years, Herrman had the
satisfaction of welcoming his friend Cronheim to his house. Educated together from
their infancy, they had early formed a mutual attachment, which gradually ripened
into the sincerest friendship, and united their hearts by the most endearing ties; ties
not less binding, not less sacred and invincible, than those of blood. Great, therefore,
was the reluctance with which they parted from each other, after having completed
their studies at the University of Gottingen. Herrman engaged himself as private tutor
to a nobleman of distinction, with whom he made the tour of Europe, whilst
Cronheim, being of a more gay and volatile disposition, sought his fortune in the
wars.
The feeling heart alone can picture to itself the mutual pleasure and rapturous
delights which our two friends experienced at embracing each other, after an absence
of so many years. Time had not yet extinguished the fire of youth and the wonted
impetuosity of Cronheim's temper. "Brother," cried he, giving his hand to his
friend,—"Brother, let us forget the dull counsels of age; let us, whilst indulgent
fortune still grants me to enjoy your company, live as in the former days that are
passed; let us live as if the thirty years we have spent separated from each other had
never been registered in the iron calendar of time."
Eagerly did Herrman assent to this proposal of his friend. His estate lay on the
pleasant banks of the Elbe, and was, for situation, unrivalled. Woods, meadows,
brooks, warrens, hills, and dales, relieving each other, incessantly diversified the
scene; Nature had thrown the whole into such agreeable confusion and disorder, that it
required very little improvement to render his abode the most delightful, picturesque,
and romantic spot that can possibly be conceived. Cronheim, who, for hunting, was at
least a second Nimrod, had here the fairest opportunity of gratifying his favourite
passion; nor was Herrman a whit behind him in his pursuits. Pleasing was it to behold
the youthful ardour with which our sturdy veterans, at peep of dawn, would bound
over hill and dale, to chase the flying stag or bristled boar.
Already had a week elapsed in these delightful health-bestowing exercises:
every morning was devoted to the chase; and when, spent and languid, they returned
from the pleasing sport, a rural repast and good old Rhenish wine refreshed their
weary limbs; nor was the bottle or the pipe laid aside till evening long had spread her
sable mantle over the globe, and steeped their eyelids in the dews of sleep.
But now a change of weather put a stop to their sports. Loud, as we have
already observed, loud roared the bleak tempestuous storm; the rattling hailstones beat
-4-
 The Necromancer

violently against the windows, threatening destruction to these brittle channels of

light. Herrman and Cronheim saw themselves obliged to relinquish the chase: in
pleasing conversation they endeavoured to beguile the tedious hours, whilst they
recapitulated the deeds of former times, and rehearsed the past adventures of youth.
Evening approached, and found them still indulging the talkative disposition of age.
Louder and louder roared the storm, fierce and more wild raged the conflicting
elements; Herrman, with lavish hand, heaped fresh logs upon his friendly fire, and,
pushing round the mirth-inspiring glass:
"Whilst angry elements do quarrel,
Be theirs (he cried) the bustle, ours, the barrel—"
Pleased with the cheerful humour of his friend, Cronheim recruited his pipe,
and, after a short pause,—"Brother," he began, "hast thou any faith in supernatural
agency? Dost thou believe in ghosts?"
Herrman replied only with a negative shake of his head.
"Neither am I a perfect believer in such strange appearances," resumed
Cronheim; "and yet, during my travels through a certain part of Germany, it was my
fate to experience a strange mysterious series of adventures, which I have never been
able to explain to my entire satisfaction."
This address excited Herrman's most serious attention; his curiosity was raised
to the highest pitch. Cronheim did not long hold him in suspense, but began his
narrative, to the following effect:—
My arrival at Frankfurt happened to be just at the commencement of the fair.1
The bustle of the place, the incredible concourse of people from every part of Europe,
the ceaseless and diversified round of shows, entertainments, and every possible sort
of pleasure and pastime, seemed to promise that my time would not easily hang heavy
upon my hands; for which reason I determined to pass a few weeks in that place.
The inn in which I lodged being one of the first in the town, was crowded with
strangers in every part; among whom an elderly gentleman distinguished himself, and
attracted universal notice, by the singularity of his dress, the bluntness of his manners,
and a kind of mystical reserve in all his actions. His appearance commanded respect:
no Brahmin could exceed him in gravity of countenance; no Quaker in plainness of
apparel. He occupied the best apartments in the inn, was attended by his own servants,
took no notice of, much less entered into conversation with, any of his fellow lodgers,
went out regularly every day after dinner, and seldom returned home till midnight.
Though he frequented all public places of resort, he was never once seen to associate
with a single individual, but walked up and down, solitary and pensive, like a man
burdened with a heavy load upon his spirits, and distracted with care.
The extraordinary character of this stranger excited my curiosity to be better
acquainted with him: for this purpose I began my inquiries with the landlord; but who,
shrugging up his shoulders, answered me only with a significant shake of his head.
My next application was to the waiters; but they likewise shrugged up their shoulders,
and were as ignorant as the landlord. In short, I found it impossible to procure the
smallest intelligence about the stranger. Nobody seemed to know anything about him.
I had not been a week in Frankfurt before I had the misfortune to lose my
purse. This loss I attributed to my carelessness; and not doubting but some of the

1
It may, perhaps, not be amiss to inform the English reader, that these fairs are far
superior to anything of the kind in this country, and generally last for several weeks
-5-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

professors of legerdemain had been dexterous enough to lighten my pocket, either as I

entered or came out of a booth where wild beasts were exhibited, I prudently
determined to be more cautious and circumspect in future.
Next morning, however, in spite of all my care, I perceived a fresh loss which
gave me infinitely more concern, than I had experienced for my purse. The miniature
picture of my Eliza, which I wore suspended by a riband round my neck, and never
took off, except when I undressed for bed, was nowhere to be found. I therefore took
the waiters pretty sharply to task: these, however, not only disclaimed all knowledge
of the picture, but manifested, at the same time, no small displeasure at the injustice of
my suspicions.
In hopes of dissipating my chagrin, I went in the evening to the theatre: a
handsome female, at a distant part of the house, caught my eye; I put my hand into my
pocket, and began to feel for my opera-glass, rummaging first one pocket, then the
other; but all to no purpose,—the opera-glass was fairly gone. "Damn it!," thought I,
"this is very extraordinary! and with that began to congratulate myself that, contrary
to my usual practice, I had left my pocketbook at home.
A boy with a link lighted me to a neighbouring tavern, after the conclusion of
the performance. At the door, I gave my conductor the usual gratuity; and, putting my
hand at the same time, instinctively, to my fob, discovered that my watch was
missing.
"May I be damned, if I spend another night in Frankfurt! I exclaimed, firmly
persuaded, that I had been singled out as their mark by some of the light-fingered
gentry; who, actuated by the same principle as other traders—"the sacred thirst of
gain,"—are equally punctual in their attendance at fairs, and every other opportunity
of making money. Resolved, therefore, to pack up my things early the next morning,
and leave a place where I had experienced nothing but misfortunes, I seated myself in
sullen despondency, without taking the least notice of the company around. Already
had I finished my supper, and was preparing to depart, when, in the very moment that
I pushed back my seat,—" Pray, Sir, what o'clock is it?" demanded a neighbouring
voice. I made no answer to this question, which so unseasonably reminded me of my
new loss.
"What o'clock is it, Sir?" interrogated the same voice a second time. "I cannot
tell;" I replied with peevish impatience, still advancing towards the door.
"Have you no watch, then?" was the next demand. Vexed at the officious
impertinence of the stranger, I turned round to look at him, and oh! heavens! what was
my surprise at beholding, in the person of my inquirer, no other than my fellow lodger
in the inn,—the elderly unsociable gentleman, whose character had before so much
excited my curiosity.
The serious look with which he regarded me sufficiently indicated that he
expected an answer to his question.
"My watch," I began —
"Has been stolen from you," interrupted the stranger; "however, give yourself
no uneasiness. I have been fortunate enough to discover the thief. Here, Sir, is your
watch, and take better care of it in future."
I stood for some time mute with astonishment. The same hands which
purloined my watch had, I made no doubt, exercised their ingenuity on the other
articles I had lately lost. This rendered me extremely anxious to know the offender,

-6-
 The Necromancer

but, before I was sufficiently recovered from my surprise to commence my inquiries,

the stranger had left the room.
I immediately hurried back to the inn: the stranger did not return till midnight.
The moment I heard his footsteps on the stairs, I flew to meet him; and, making a low
bow, began to thank him for the recovery of my watch. But the unsociable gentleman,
without deigning to take the least notice of my discourse, passed abruptly by me, and,
entering his own apartment, locked the door after him.
All subsequent attempts to enter into conversation with the wonderful stranger
proved equally abortive. In the inn he constantly kept himself locked in his own
apartment, and, in places of public resort, seemed assiduously to avoid me. Three days
passed in fruitless endeavours; at length, provoked with the old gentleman's
unaccountable reserve, I determined to give myself no further trouble about him, but,
packing up my portmanteau, fixed upon the following day for my departure, although
I had met with no fresh loss or disaster since the recovery of my watch.
Previous to my leaving Holstein, I had been supplied by my uncle, Mr. Vander
Laer of Hamburg, with bills for a considerable amount, drawn upon a certain house in
Leipzig, with which my uncle transacted business. Being low in cash, I resolved to get
these bills negotiated in Frankfurt, and therefore set out, immediately after breakfast,
in quest of a merchant to whom I had been recommended for that purpose. I met with
little difficulty in finding out the house, but had so much the more in finding my
pocket-book, which, after feeling for it first in the right pocket, then in the left, then in
the right again, and so on alternately for a full half hour, was actually missing.
"I certainly must have left it at home!" cried I: and, posting back to the inn,
unpacked my trunk, and emptied its contents a dozen times at least; but all to no
purpose,—pocket-book and notes were irrecoverably lost.
How I passed the remainder of the day after this discovery, I shall not attempt
to describe. Evening approached, and found me still busy in rummaging every hole
and corner in quest of my pocketbook, which, however, did not think proper to be
forthcoming. The greatness of my loss hardly suffered me to be convinced of its
reality; after one of the most uneasy nights that can possibly be conceived, I renewed
the search next morning, but with no better success than before.
Stranger in a foreign land, without money, without friends, I now beheld
myself the slave of necessity; and, with my eyes fixed sullenly upon the ground, stood
wringing my hands, and calling down curses upon myself, and the unknown author of
my calamity, when I was roused from my painful reflections by a sudden knock at the
door. "Walk in," I cried with peevish impatience: the door flew open, and who should
make his appearance but my fellow lodger, the strange unsociable gentleman!
"Young man,"—presenting a bill to me, "here is sufficient to carry you home
to your friends; the post sets out to-morrow morning. I wish you a pleasant journey:
farewell!"
In an instant lay the draft upon the table, and away hurried the donor, before I
had time to recover from my surprise, or to utter a single syllable. Astonishment long
held me, as it were, chained to my seat; but curiosity to be acquainted with the nature
of the stranger's bounty getting, at length, the better of my amazement, I proceeded to
examine the paper, which I found to be a bill for one hundred and twenty dollars,2
drawn upon a merchant in Frankfurt, and payable at sight.

2
About 25l. Sterling.
-7-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

If I was before confounded and surprised, I was now not less vexed and
chagrined at this adventure, in consequence of which I saw myself debtor to the
generosity of a stranger, whom nobody seemed to know, whose very name and place
of abode I had in vain attempted to discover: what probability, therefore, had I of ever
acquitting myself of my obligations by making restitution? "I must and will learn his
address" was my final determination; accordingly, I repaired to the stranger's
apartment, knocked at the door, but, to my great disappointment, found him not at
home. In hopes of dissipating my uneasiness, I likewise resolved upon a walk, and
hurried to join the busy scenes of tumult and confusion which the fair exhibited.
It was late when I returned back to the inn. The stranger was not arrived: his
usual hour was midnight; I therefore proposed to wait his return, and either to insist
on knowing his address, or else compel him to take his present back again. For this
purpose, leaving my door ajar, I seated myself on a sofa, and endeavoured to beguile
the tedious hours of expectation by reading a German translation of Ossian.
Midnight approached without any signs of the stranger's return. I still
continued stretched upon the sofa; at length I grew drowsy, Ossian dropped out of my
hands, my eye-lids closed involuntarily, and, overpowered by sleep, I already nodded,
when I was suddenly roused by a noise at the door of my room. I started up—all was
silent. I opened the door—could hear nothing—see nothing. It certainly must have
been imagination—I must have fancied or dreamed that I heard a noise. Resuming,
therefore, my book, I rubbed my eyes, wiped them with a wet cloth, and, that I might
be in less danger of giving way to slumber, began to read aloud:
"Docs the wind touch thee, O harp, or is it some passing ghost?"—Hardly had
I pronounced the last words, when the noise returned. I could plainly distinguish the
tread of human feet along the passage: the noise drew nearer and nearer. Presently I
believed I heard a trembling hand groping for the lock of the door, which, opening
gradually, discovered a female figure dressed in white, with a veil over her face, that
reached half way down her shoulders.
Slow and solemn, with her back turned to me, she drew near the table, took up
my watch, examined it attentively, sighed thrice and deeply, replaced my watch upon
the table, and continued her walk to the opposite corner of the room. In repassing, she
rested her head upon her left hand, and, drawing her veil aside with her right hand, I
beheld, with horror and astonishment, the very features of Eliza; but her countenance
pale, her eyes sunk and hollow, and her brow contracted with indignation.
After a short pause, she drew nearer, cast an angry look at me, held up her
hand in a threatening attitude, and, thrice beating her breast, whilst heart-piercing
groans burst from her bosom, regained the door, and disappeared.
On recovering from my surprise, I found myself still seated upon the sofa, and,
revolving in my mind every concomitant circumstance of this extraordinary
apparition, was firmly persuaded that the whole adventure could be nothing but a
dream. I looked at my watch—it was exactly one o'clock. Impatient at the stranger's
delay, I threw myself, dressed as I was, upon the bed, and slept till late in the
morning. My first care, upon awaking, was to inquire of the waiter whether the
strange gentleman had returned to the inn last night. I was answered in the negative.
"Has he left Frankfurt?—Did he make any mention of travelling?"
"To have taken any notice to us of his intended journey," replied the waiter,
"would be contrary to the mysterious reserve of his character; it is, however, probable
enough that he is gone. His reckoning he settles regularly every day after dinner; and,
as to trunks or baggage, he never carries anything of the kind along with him."
-8-
 The Necromancer

"Suppose we step to his apartment; I am curious to satisfy myself whether he

be actually gone or not."
The key stood in the door; but, excepting the usual furniture of the room, not
the smallest trace was there of any person having lodged in it.
This was to me a very unwelcome discovery. What hope could I now have of
ever being able to acquit myself of my obligations to my unknown benefactor? More
than once I felt myself tempted to destroy the bill for which I stood indebted to his
bounty; but this, as I justly reflected, could in no shape cancel or lessen my obligation.
Suddenly the thought shot across my mind, that perhaps the bill might be of no value;
it might be fictitious,—might be drawn upon a person that was nowhere to be found.
Though this supposition, in case it should prove true, threatened to involve me in my
former embarrassment, I took a strange delight in cherishing the idea, and, that I
might put an end to my suspense, showed the note to my landlord, under pretence of
inquiring after the merchant on whom it was drawn. The innkeeper instantly described
the street and house, offering to send his boy with me to show me the way: this,
however, I thought proper to decline.
I went therefore alone, and tendered my bill for payment the same morning.
The merchant ran over the draft, and then fixed his eyes with uncommon significance
upon me. His looks seemed expressive of something more than mere astonishment.
This I considered as a confirmation of my suspicions, and expected every moment to
hear the validity of my bill called in question. I found myself, however, mistaken; the
merchant, still eyeing me with the same significant attention, opened his desk, and
counted me the money. This seemed a favourable opportunity to obtain some
intelligence concerning the stranger from whom I had received the note; I ventured,
therefore, to question the merchant about the drawer of the bill. Evidently
disconcerted at this demand, the merchant shrugged his shoulders, and, without
making any reply, locked his desk and departed! I found his conduct strangely
mysterious: a confused train of ideas rushed upon my mind; a walk seemed best
calculated to drive away the vapours; I repaired, therefore, to a neighbouring tea-
garden.
The beauty of the weather had enticed a large concourse of people to the place.
I took my seat in a pleasant arbour, where woodbine and whitethorn interwove their
friendly branches, and, calling for chocolate, began, whilst this was preparing, to give
free scope to my meditations, and to ruminate on the strange occurrences which I had
witnessed during my short abode at Frankfurt. Above all, my dream engrossed my
most serious thoughts; the more I reflected upon every particular, the more
extraordinary I found it. Eliza's look, her wrathful countenance, the threatening
manner in which she held up her hand—and but too well I knew how justly I deserved
her anger—all appeared so natural, so suited to my present circumstances, that
sometimes I inclined to consider last night's adventure as more than a mere dream.
But against this opinion reason and incredulity raised a thousand unanswerable
objections. I endeavoured to banish the whole idea from my mind; in vain,—my
dream returned, revolted, recoiled upon my imagination; opposition only served to
give it additional force. Painful was the struggle between contending sentiments; I
could support the conflict no longer: forgetful of the place—forgetful of the company,
I broke out into a loud exclamation—" Yes! it must have been a dream."—"Twas no
dream," rejoined a voice, familiar to my ear. Astonished and confounded, I lifted up
my eyes: the strange gentleman, my unknown friend and benefactor, stood before me.

-9-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

"Young man," he continued, "if you wish to be satisfied relative to what you
saw last night, meet me at ten o'clock this evening, at the corner of .Frederic Street,
facing the Dolphin." Without waiting my reply, the stranger hurried out of the arbour,
and in an instant lost himself among the crowd.
Soon after, the waiter made his appearance with the chocolate, but my appetite
was gone. I traversed the garden, wandered up and down its walks, searched
everywhere for the wonderful stranger, inquired after him of the waiters, described
him, characterized him, offered a reward to anyone that should discover him, but all to
no purpose; none of the waiters had seen any person that answered his description.
Chagrined at the ill success of my inquiries, I returned to the inn, and, with a
kind of secret horror, entered my apartment, where the image of Eliza seemed still to
hover round me. Painful conjectures tortured my mind: her pallid countenance, hollow
eyes, and the signs of mortality portrayed in her looks, filled me with the most gloomy
apprehensions. The place became insupportable: restless and uneasy, I wandered from
one scene of bustling impertinence to another; from the inn to the coffee-house, from
the coffee-house to the mall, from the mall to the exhibition-room, from the exhibition
room to the fair, to the booths, to puppet-shows, merry Andrews, wild beasts, &.
Nothing could restore me to tranquillity—nothing afford me relief—nothing calm the
tempest of my thoughts.
With the approach of evening, my assignation with the wonderful incognito
engrossed my meditations. Strange ideas, unaccountable forebodings, harassed my
mind. The time, the place of meeting, seemed equally mysterious and alarming. "Why
not fix upon an earlier hour? Why not upon his own apartment at the inn? Go I, or go
I not?" I incessantly put the question to myself, whilst my wavering resolution, like a
pair of balances, preponderated this way, then that, alternately. "What risk, what
danger, mayest thou expose thyself to by going?" demanded Prudence. "What
discoveries mayest thou not make?" replied Curiosity: "to-morrow is the day
appointed for thy departure from Frankfurt, and this very night an opportunity offers
of obtaining light, and satisfactory information, concerning all the strange and
intricate occurrences which have lately taken place. How will it repent thee to neglect
so favourable an opportunity? And of whom standest thou in dread? Shame upon thy
manhood, to tremble at an old grey-headed gentleman." "A gentleman to whom thou
art, moreover, under obligations," added Pride, "which this very evening thou mayest
learn to acquit thyself of"—Yes, I go— was the conclusion of my deliberations.
It was now within half an hour of ten o'clock. I returned to the inn to prepare
for my intended expedition. The landlord meeting me at the door, accosted me with
more than usual gaiety.
"Sir," he began, "I have an agreeable piece of news to communicate, that will,
I make no doubt, afford you equal pleasure and surprise."
"What is it?" I demanded with astonishment.
"During your abode in my house, you have had the misfortune to lose, at
different times, sundry valuable articles."
"That, indeed, is but too true," I replied, with a look that seemed to ask,
whether this was the pleasant and surprising news my landlord had announced.
"These losses," continued the innkeeper, "have been productive of much
trouble and uneasiness to me, as well as to yourself, Sir. For the credit of an inn, you
know, Sir" —
"To the point, if you please," (I interrupted him, being impatient to be gone.)

-10-
 The Necromancer

"It seems, Sir, you lost your purse, the miniature picture of a young lady, an
opera-glass, and likewise your pocket-book."
"Your inventory of my loss is very exact, very accurate, indeed!"
"All these articles," resumed the innkeeper, "you will find faithfully restored;
they lie this present moment upon the table in your apartment."
"Explain yourself!" I exclaimed, trifle with my impatience no longer."
"The matter is even as I relate. It is hardly an hour ago since a stranger brought
these things to my house."
"A stranger, do you say? He can be no stranger to you, I should suppose?"
"Who, then, do you imagine it to be, Sir?" demanded the innkeeper."
"Who else," I replied, "but the elderly gentleman, your former lodger?"
The innkeeper shook his head; at the same instant he was called off to attend
some company. I hurried upstairs; everything corresponded with the landlord's
relation. On the table lay my purse, the miniature-picture, opera-glass, and pocket-
book; I examined the latter, and found my notes safe and untouched. I stood petrified
with amazement.
That this was a fresh obligation conferred upon me by my unknown benefactor
I had little room to doubt. "But how," thought I; "by what means can he have been
enabled to effect this restoration? Why anticipate, as it were, his own appointed time
of meeting? Can he have entertained any doubts of my punctuality in attending his
assignation? or has he, perhaps, been compelled, by unavoidable unforeseen
necessity, to accelerate his departure from Frankfurt?" The latter conjecture, whilst it
appeared the most plausible, was likewise the most unpleasant, since it deprived me of
all possibility of repaying the sum for which I stood indebted to the stranger's bounty,
at the very time when the recovery of my own notes put this restitution in my power.
However, as the stranger's departure was not positively certain; as the whole of his
character and conduct had been in the highest degree mysterious; as his disinterested
benevolence, inflexible integrity, and unexampled philanthropy, rendered it
improbable that he should fail in his promise of meeting me, without the most cogent
reasons, I determined to repair to the appointed place of rendezvous.
"Did the bearer of the lost articles, which I have thus unexpectedly regained,
leave no message relative to the author, the place, the manner, of their recovery?"
addressing myself to the innkeeper, in my way to the door.
"None in the world," (replied the innkeeper) "he said neither more nor less
than what I have already told you. 'Here are the things which M. Cronheim has lost
during his abode in your house;' and, without leaving me a moment's time to question
him further upon the subject, laid them down upon the table, and departed."
"Take care of this till my return," said I, delivering the key of my apartment to
the landlord: my effects I have regained; for the future I leave them in your
custody,—from you I shall expect them." The time of assignation drew near: I hurried
away from the inn.
The clock struck ten; I kept my post at the corner of Frederic Street. Dark was
the night; loud and hollow roared the wind; not a star shone in the firmament; every
distant sound, every approaching footstep, announced to my fond imagination the
arrival of my unknown benefactor. I ran to meet the coming passenger, accosted every
one that fell in my way, but found myself continually mistaken. Repeated
disappointments served to confirm me in the opinion which I had already formed on

-11-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

recovering my pocket-book, with the other articles of my loss, as above related. My

generous friend, thought I, must have left Frankfurt; must have been under a sudden
indispensable necessity of travelling. I grew tired of waiting—the sound of the
church-clock again saluted my ears; it was eleven, and the stranger had not yet made
his appearance. Passengers were no longer heard at a distance; midnight, silence,
impenetrable darkness, surrounded me; vexed and discontented, I sat out on my return
to the inn.
Hardly, however, had I advanced ten paces, before I fancied I heard somebody
endeavouring to overtake me. "Stop, Sir," exclaimed the well-known voice of my
long-expected friend. I instantly turned round, and ran to meet him.
"Sorry am I," began the courteous stranger, "to have detained you so long."
"Longer, Sir, would I have waited with pleasure, had I been certain of meeting
you; had I not been apprehensive that you had left Frankfurt. I burn with impatience
to see myself extricated from my doubts; to obtain your promised explanation relative
to the mysterious adventures which I have lately experienced."
"That explanation you shall soon receive," was the stranger's reply: "follow
me."
With long and hasty strides he now began to lead the way, displaying more
activity than could have been expected from his years. I followed him—not a single
word passed between us. We soon approached the city gates: these were in an instant
thrown open by the guard, and now our way led across the suburbs.
At the extremity stood a lonely antiquated house or castle, surrounded with a
high wall, and apparently in a very ruinous condition. The stranger stopped short;
three times he struck with his staff against the massy gates: hollow sounded his
knocks through the solitary apartments. An old grey-headed porter gave us
admittance. The stranger demanded a light; a lantern was brought: in mysterious
silence he traversed the rooms, where desolation seemed to have taken up her abode;
all was waste, empty, uninhabited; the old grey-headed porter excepted, I saw no
signs of a single living animal. After passing through a long narrow passage, we came
into a spacious garden, if a place overgrown with briars and thorns may deserve that
title. Here, however, the former picture of silent solitary desolation was quite
reversed: bats and owls swarmed in every part, and filled the air with their doleful
lamentable cries. A ruinous antique summer-house, built of flint and granite, stood at
the bottom; thither I followed my conductor.
"Time and place," began the latter, carefully re-locking the door the moment I
had entered,—" time and place are here equally favourable for our purpose: explain
the nature of your doubts, and those intricate events concerning which you desire
better information."
I began with a brief relation of the extraordinary manner in which my pocket-
book, notes, &c. had been restored to me, and was just proceeding to inquire whether
my conductor was not the author of this fortunate discovery, when I was interrupted
by the latter.
"I am perfectly acquainted with the whole transaction; ask whatever question
you please, but let it comprise the sum of all your wishes."
This command involved me in the utmost perplexity. How was it possible for
me, in my present state of surprise, to consolidate, to concentrate, as it were, my
desires instantaneously into one focus, into one object, one point?

-12-
 The Necromancer

The stranger perceived my embarrassment. "Ask, then," he resumed, "who the

friend is that interests himself so faithfully in your concerns."
"The very question," I replied, "that I most devoutly wish to have resolved."
"Well, then, you shall soon have an opportunity of seeing this friend—of being
personally acquainted with him."
"Soon have an opportunity!" I repeated with astonishment. "Am I not
acquainted with him already? Are not you, yourself, Sir, that friend, that generous
benefactor?"
"No!" replied the stranger, with a negative shake of his head; I am nothing
more than his instrument; and that—here he paused a moment—and that only at the
third hand."
At these words I regarded him with silent amazement. Of this the stranger
seemed to take but little notice, but, drawing from his pocket a small box filled with
red sand, began to scatter its contents about the floor; then describing with his wand
two circles, he placed me in one, whilst himself occupied the other, and, with his
hands crossed upon his breast, and his eyes directed upwards, stood for a long time
motionless like a statue.
"What, (thought I to myself) will be the end of these mysterious preparations?"
The stranger still continued motionless, till a distant church clock announced
the solemn hour of midnight. Hardly had the last stroke ceased to vibrate on our ears,
when, suddenly turning himself round in his circle, he pronounced, with an audible
voice, at full length, the name of Eliza. I started with horror and astonishment.
Instantly was heard a subterraneous noise, like the thunder underground that
forebodes an earthquake, or when it rattles with aggravated peals, re-echoing from the
mountains.
The stranger pronounced the name of Eliza the second time, and louder and
more awful than before. A flash of lightning shot across the room, which shook with
the roaring of the deep-mouthed thunder.
Louder, and still more dreadful, the stranger pronounced the name of Eliza the
third time. A sudden trembling seized upon me—the whole summer-house seemed to
be on fire—the ground gave way under my feet—I sunk down—the spirit of Eliza
hovered over me—my senses forsook me.
A violent rocking gradually restored me to the use of my faculties. At first I
fancied myself tossed to and fro by invisible hands, whilst a loud rattling noise
invaded my ears. The jolting still increased. Presently, I perceived myself seated in a
vehicle that rolled along with surprising velocity. Impenetrable darkness surrounded
me—it was impossible for me to distinguish a single object. I found myself terribly
confined and straightened for want of room: somebody sat at my right hand, but
whether my companion belonged to the spiritual or corporeal race of beings, I was not
sufficiently recovered from my surprise to determine.
Meanwhile the carriage rolled along with increasing rapidity, but either the
roads must have been extremely rugged and uneven, or my driver, being unacquainted
with the country, was unable to select his way in the dark, for we encountered such
terrible shocks from loose stones, the roots and broken branches of trees, &c. that I
expected, every moment, to see the vehicle overset, and dashed in pieces. How long I
continued in this miserable situation it is difficult to ascertain, as you may reasonably
suppose that one hour's travelling in this mode might well seem longer than a journey
from Leipzig to Dresden in a stagecoach. At length a most tremendous shock put a

-13-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

period to our expedition: the charioteer drove fiercely over a prostrate milestone—off
flew one of the wheels—and down came the carriage in an instant.
"Jesus! Maria!" exclaimed my companion; who, falling right upon me, pressed
me with such true, unequivocal, and substantial weight, that, had I been capable of the
least reflection, I might soon have satisfied my former doubts, whether my associate
belonged to the immaterial or corporeal race of beings.
Excruciating torments awakened me from the state of stupefaction in which I
had lain several minutes. Rough voices repeatedly called out for help, and presently a
countryman, with a lantern, ran to our assistance. On opening my eyes, I perceived
two men standing over me, each holding a horse apparently just unharnessed from the
broken carriage. They attempted to lift me up; my agonies increased—I found myself
unable to stand, and entreated them, for God's sake, to let me lie. A second attempt
was made to raise me on my feet: in vain—it appeared that my thigh was broken. No
sooner was this discovery made, than the two men swung themselves upon their
horses, and, promising to procure assistance in the first town or village they should
meet, galloped off at full speed, leaving me to the care of the peasant, who kindly did
all in his power to comfort and encourage me.
The night was piercing cold, which greatly added to the poignancy of my
torments. A whole hour elapsed—no help made its appearance—the men with the
horses seemed to be in no hurry to return. At length the distant rattling of a carriage
was heard: the countryman with his lantern ran to meet it; it proved to be a coach and
four.
"Stop, for the love of Christ!" he exclaimed, and briefly related the disaster
which had just befallen me. A middle-aged gentleman sprang out, and, with the
assistance of the countryman and his own attendants, conveyed me to the carriage,
where having seated me as conveniently as circumstances would admit, he gave
orders to drive as gently as possible.
Hardly had the morning began to dawn, when we entered a populous village
on the estate of Baron von Kampenhausen, such was the gentleman's name who
afforded me protection in my present calamity. I was immediately conveyed to the
manor-house. A servant, despatched for that purpose, soon returned with a surgeon;
the necessary operations were performed, after which I was put to bed. My kind and
noble benefactor paid me all possible attention, sat hours together by my bed-side,
and, as soon as I was sufficiently recovered to enter into conversation, entertained me
alternately with his discourse, and reading extracts from the best French and German
authors.
At the expiration of nine weeks I was able to lay my crutches aside, and,
taking an affectionate leave of Baron von Kampenhausen, returned to Frankfurt. My
sudden disappearance from that place had greatly alarmed the landlord of the inn
where I lodged; who, having made many fruitless inquiries after me, gave me entirely
up for lost. Great, therefore, was his surprise at my unexpected return, after so long an
absence. Hardly would he credit his own eyes, when I first made my appearance, but,
crossing himself, and adjuring me in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, began
the usual preamble which, from time immemorial, has been deemed an infallible
charm against hobgoblins of every description. However, after I had with some
difficulty satisfied him that it was no apparition, but a bona fide flesh and bone
inhabitant of this terraqueous globe, I received my effects at his hands, and, the day
following, set out from Frankfurt, on my way to Switzerland.

-14-
 The Necromancer

Here ended Cronheim his wonderful narrative, and, anxiously fixing his eyes
on Herrman, seemed at once to wish, and yet dread, to hear the judgment which his
friend would pass upon it.
After a short pause, "Marvellous," began Herrman, "is the relation I have just
heard—marvellous to such a degree, that had I not myself experienced adventures of a
similar, or even more wonderful nature, and which probably may be more intimately
connected with your own history than you would at first imagine, I must candidly
acknowledge I should be apt to call the authenticity of your narrative into question."
Cronheim, who fully expected to find, not only a severe critic, but an
incredulous hearer, in the person of his friend, was all impatience to be made
acquainted with the wonders which Herrman had announced; but the latter, observing
that the night was already far spent, and that, as he was only a partial actor in the
drama, it would be necessary for him to consult some papers in which the history was
continued and brought to its catastrophe, begged leave to postpone his relation till the
following day, to which demand Cronheim readily acquiesced.
Aurora, with rosy fingers unlocking the crystal gates of light, ushered in the
sprightly morn. Clear and unclouded shone the sky, hushed was the storm, the
weather appeared the very reverse of what it had been the preceding day. Cronheim,
notwithstanding, manifested no inclination for the chase; but, at breakfast, took
occasion to remind his friend of last night's promise, and anxiously inquired whether
he had found the papers to which he then alluded.
Herrman replied in the affirmative, and at the same time gave him to
understand that, on account of the immoderate length of his history, his design was to
relate at present only as far as himself had been an acting person in the drama. The
remainder, which formed by far the greatest part of his history, he promised to deliver
to him in writing, but not before the time fixed for his departure; lest, he added, ghosts
and necromancers should so entirely engross their thoughts, as to leave no time for the
more rational solaces of friendship.
Cronheim declared himself satisfied with this proposal, and Herrman, as soon
as he had reloaded his pipe, began his promised narrative, to the following effect:
"Soon after our separation on leaving Gottingen, I engaged myself as private
tutor to the young Count von Einsiedel, a nobleman not less distinguished by his
virtues than by his illustrious descent, with whom I travelled through the greatest part
of Europe. Our tour lasted three years, and, though it may be supposed that, in the
course of so long a journey, in which, like Ulysses, we had occasion to see
This immense forest is situated in Swabia, and is by far the largest in all Germany;
known to the ancients by the name of Sylva Hercynia. Caesar gives a description of it
in his Commentaries, where he affirms it to be nine days' journey in breadth, and three
score in length.
"Mores hominum multorum et urbes,"3
we could not fail of meeting with many extraordinary adventures: the most wonderful
as well as the most dangerous of all seems to have been reserved for our return to
Germany from Switzerland.

3
"Through many kingdoms, many towns he strayed,
And foreign customs, laws, and manners, weighed."
-15-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

We had already nearly cleared the Black Forest4, when, on a sudden, the sky
became overcast, the rain poured down in torrents, and the livid flashes of lightning,
bursting right over our heads, succeeded one another with such rapidity, that the
thunder, re-echoing from the woods, the rocks, and mountains, seemed but one
continued peal. To add to our distress, night how began to approach: not such a night
as tender lovers choose to wander in by the moon's pale lamp, and breathe their
amorous vows—but rather a night, such as poets have conceived, when Lapland
witches5 charm the labouring moon, and bring her down to earth, whilst darkness,
with her raven wings outspread, hovering beneath the fair expanse of heaven, forbids
the starry host their mild effulgence to diffuse, and cheer the traveller with their silver
light.
We had not travelled many miles in this dismal condition, before our postilion
had the misfortune to lose his way; and, what still aggravated our calamity, he did not
perceive his mistake till it was already too late to rectify it. I shall not attempt to
describe the gloomy apprehensions which filled our minds on his communicating to
us this unwelcome intelligence. Our postilion was naturally a lad of humour, and,
agreeably to the laudable practice of his profession, had entertained us all day with a
recital of the numberless murders, robberies, rapes, &c. which had been perpetrated in
this immense forest. We had likewise, in many instances, received ocular
demonstrations of the truth of his reports from the numberless crosses which in this
country are erected on the spot where any murder has been committed, partly with a
view to put travellers upon their guard, and partly to entreat their prayers for the rest
of the souls of the defunct. Hardly an hour passed without our meeting one or more of
these crosses, with the following inscription:

NEAR THIS PLACE WAS MURDERED

N. N.
ALL GOOD CHRISTIANS PRAY FOR
HIS SOUL.

As we wished for nothing more ardently than to extricate ourselves from this
dismal situation as soon as possible (being not less in purgatory ourselves than the
souls of those for whom our prayers were desired), we ordered the postilion to lose no
time in fruitless attempts to regain the right road to the town we had originally

4
This immense forest is situated in Swabia, and is by far the largest in all Germany;
known to the ancients by the name of Sylva Hercynia. Caesar gives a description of it
in his Commentaries, where he affirms it to be nine days' journey in breadth, and three
score in length.
5
"Thessalae mulieres vel lunam e coelo detrahere profitebantur. Repente enim luna,
cum plena esset et sublimis, facta est obscura, lumineque deficiente multiplicibus
mutatis coloribus evanuit"—Unde Virgilius, Eclog. viii. ["The women of Thessaly
can draw the moon down from the sky. Suddenly the moon, which was full and
beautiful, is darkened, dim and changed in colour—whence Virgil, Eclogue 8" (l. 69:
"Songs can even draw the moon down from heaven") Ed.]
"Carmina vel coelo possunt deducere Lunam.
Song, mystic song, attracts the labouring Moon.
Confer, et Horatium, Epod. v. et xvii.
-16-
 The Necromancer

designed to put up at, but rather to drive straight forward with the utmost expedition,
till we should have the good fortune to light on some human habitation, where we
might pass the remainder of the night in safety. With this request our Jehu willingly
complied, and, after exercising his whip for a full hour with all the fury of his
illustrious predecessor of that name, we found ourselves emerging from our worse
than Cimmerian forest, upon the entrance of a large plain or common.
"Blessed Virgin-mother of God!" exclaimed the postilion, with a degree of
ecstasy not to be conceived, "we are at last in open country, and, if I am not mistaken,
my Lord, at no great distance from a village.
The music of the spheres could not have sounded more delightful and
harmonious to the Count and myself than this intelligence from our postilion: nor was
it long before his conjectures were confirmed by a hideous howl which half a score of
dogs set up on our nearer approach.
Great was our joy at beholding once more the peaceful abodes of man. The
village we found to be of considerable extent, but the inn, if such it may be called,
was one of the most execrable that ever I set foot in in the whole course of my life.
"Benedicite!" exclaimed the landlord, all astonishment at seeing a post-chaise draw up
before his door,—a phenomenon which caused him to stare as much as if the Grand
Turk in person had come to pay him a visit. It was no wonder, therefore, if the bill of
fare of the house contained nothing more than a few smoked sausages, some rusty
bacon, and a stale loaf of brown bread. Wine or beer, he assured us, was not to be had
in the whole neighbourhood; and such was the goodness of his brandy, that even our
postilion was glad to wash his mouth after swallowing a glass of it.
I inquired whether the lord of the manor resided on his estate, hoping to meet
with better accommodation from the hospitality of a stranger; but received for answer,
that the manor-house was entirely waste and uninhabited, nobody having been able to
live in it for this century past, and upwards—I demanded the reason.
"Why, as to matter of that, look ye, gentlemen," replied the landlord, "it is an
affair which nobody much cares to speak about—neither dare I, on any account, give
you any item of the business tonight; but wait," he added, "till to-morrow morning,
and then, if you are not able to divine the cause yourselves, why I will even let you
into particulars."
As little satisfied with this reply as myself, the Count pressed the landlord to
be more explicit, and even insisted on having a categorical answer to the question I
had put: but our landlord was not to be prevailed upon; he continued shaking his head
as sturdy as a mule, and, when he found that we would not desist from our inquiries,
left the room with evident signs of displeasure, grumbling something about unlawful
curiosity and divine judgments, with other obscure hints, which to us were quite
unintelligible.
Vexed as we were at what we considered a most unpardonable instance of
rudeness, we were fain to make the best of our present circumstances, and to digest
our coarse unsavoury fare as well as we could. Indeed, the black Spartan broth of
Leonidas would have been a downright luxury, compared to the miserable
entertainment we partook of on this occasion; but experience verified the old proverb,
that "Hunger is the best sauce."
After we had finished our homely repast, and somewhat appeased the cravings
of nature, we laid ourselves down upon some clean fresh straw, which here supplied
the place of a bed to our weary limbs. The Count was presently buried in a profound

-17-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

sleep; whilst I kept turning from side to side, and, harassed by a thousand
unaccountable apprehensions, found it impossible to close my eyes. In this state of
uneasiness I continued till the watchman, with hoarse voice, announced the solemn
hour of midnight. My ears were instantaneously alarmed with the distant sound of
horses' hoofs, and the echoing thunder of trumpets, horns, and other wind instruments.
The noise drew near, and presently a whole troop of horse seemed to pass in full
gallop by the window, the air at the same time resounding with such a full band of
music, that, had it not been for the unseasonable hour, added to the disagreeableness
of the night, I should have imagined his Serene Highness the Elector, with his whole
court and retinue, had marched through the place on a royal hunting party. The Count
awoke with the noise, and, abruptly starting up —
"What can be the meaning of all this?" he demanded, with a mixture of fear
and astonishment.
To this question I was as little able to give a satisfactory answer as himself. I
continued, therefore, to listen with the greatest attention to what was transacting, and
perceived, to my no small surprise, that these nocturnal Nimrods had hardly passed
our inn, before the noise of their horses and instruments died away, and the whole
place was as silent as before. This appeared to me exceedingly singular. I began
afresh to give free scope to the workings of a disturbed imagination, and, comparing
in my mind the strange scene I had just witnessed with the unaccountable reserve and
dark innuendos of our landlord, I attempted to unravel the mystery that seemed to
envelop this adventure. As for the Count, he soon relapsed into a profound slumber,
and snored away as heartily as ever.
Setting aside the inclemency of the weather, it appeared to me very
improbable that any person should ride out on a hunting-party at midnight. This
reflection induced me for some time to regard the noise I had heard as the
consequence of my having dreamed to that effect: but when I took into serious
consideration the behaviour of our landlord, and the sudden awaking of the Count, I
found myself greatly staggered, and cannot deny but a secret horror invaded my
whole frame.
Lost and bewildered in a painful labyrinth of conjecture and doubt, I
insensibly grew weary of the strife between contending opinions. A gentle slumber,
the welcome forerunner of the somniferous deity, had already closed my eyelids,
when I was roused from my lethargy by the hoarse cry of the watchman, who, with
the whole collected force of his lungs, gave notice that the clock had just gone one in
the morning. His voice, however, though powerful enough to entitle him a second
Boanerges, was soon drowned by the return of the same alarming noise I had before
heard. I immediately arose, and, hastening to the window, which shook with the
echoing thunder of horns, trumpets, &c. resolved to satisfy my curiosity relative to
this nocturnal troop of Nimrods by ocular demonstration; but, before I had time to
throw the window open, the whole squadron had passed the house in full gallop, with
a noise equal to the loudest whirlwind, and a few minutes after the former silence
succeeded, and all was quiet as the grave.
I was now fain to banish all further thoughts of sleep, for the present night at
least, and, not able to wait till breakfast, at which time the landlord had promised to
satisfy our inquiries relative to the uninhabited mansion, I ran to the window the
moment I heard the watchman begin to cry two o'clock.
"Friend," I accosted him, "what can be the meaning of -the noise and racket
that alarmed our ears at the hours of twelve and one?"

-18-
 The Necromancer

"Why, truly," was his answer, "your honour must certainly be a stranger in this
neighbourhood. There is not a child in the village but knows all about it. We have this
noise, as you call it, every night for weeks together: after that, we are quiet again for a
season."
"Well, but," I replied, "what whimsical gentleman is it that hunts at midnight?"
"Nay, that, indeed, I am not at liberty to tell you; inquire of your landlord, who
can inform you of every particular. For my part, I am only doing my duty, and my
trust is in God. But not a syllable of what I see and hear will I betray to any living
soul; nor should the king's ransom tempt me to it." And with that the watchman took
himself off.
I wrapped myself up in my great-coat, and, drawing a chair to the window,
awaited, with anxious impatience, the tardy return of day. At length the morning
began to dawn; the whole village re-echoed with the crowing of cocks, which, I may
truly say, never sounded more grateful in my ears. The Count at the same time
awaking, and seeing me already dressed:—
"Why, you are up by times, to-day, Sir," he began, rubbing his eyes. "Pray tell
me what noise that was which disturbed us last night?"
"Indeed, my Lord," I replied, "my curiosity in this respect is at least equal to
your own; and hardly can I wait till we receive the promised information from our
landlord. And," added I, "if your lordship had not slept so soundly, you would have
heard the troop gallop past us at one in the morning with the same dreadful
impetuosity and noise as they did at twelve."
The sound of horses' hoofs in the yard put a stop to our conversation. I ran to
the window, and saw an officer with his servant alight before the inn door. They
presently joined us, and having, like ourselves, had the misfortune to be benighted and
lose their way, our acquaintance was soon formed. The officer was a spirited young
fellow, about three and twenty, wore Danish uniform, and had, it seems, been sent
upon a recruiting-party. The Count related our last night's adventure, which the
Lieutenant for some time regarded as a mere joke. But, upon my positive assurance
that what he had just heard was a real fact, he testified a strong desire to be better
acquainted with the midnight hunters.
"That honour you may easily have," replied the baron; only pass the night
here, and we will bear you company."
"Done!" cried the Lieutenant; "I hold you to your word, and who knows but
our hunting gentry may be civil enough to admit us of their party. In that case," added
he, laughing, "we come in for our share of a haunch of venison."
Hardly had he pronounced these words when the landlord made his
appearance—" Well, gentlemen," he began (after previously bidding us good
morrow), "did your honours hear anything extraordinary last night?"
"But too much!" was my reply; however, pray inform me who, and what kind
of hunters, they are that seem so fond of exercising their sport at midnight?"
"Why yes, to be sure," resumed the landlord, "these are matters, as I said
before, which one don't much care to talk about. I was unwilling to satisfy your
inquiries yesterday, lest your incredulous curiosity should precipitate you into
mischief, which, God above knows, has been the case with many; however, as I
promised to give you a relation of the whole affair this morning, you shall find me as
good as my word.

-19-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

"Here, at the bottom of the village, stands a large house, which formerly was
the residence of the lord of the manor. Now, you must know, it so happened that, a
great many years back, one of these lords was a terribly wicked man, who cared
neither for God nor devil, and treated his subjects,6<6> worse than his cattle. Nobody

6
As we, through the mercy of divine Providence, are placed in a country where
instances of cruel and haughty overbearance on the part of lords of manors towards
their tenants occur so very seldom, that tyranny and oppression are hardly known
among us but by name, it may not be amiss to give the English reader a short ketch of
the miserable slavery in which the inhabitants of foreign countries are still held; by
perusing which he will at once be enabled to form an idea how the case formerly was
in this land of freedom, and at the same time find abundant reason to thank
Providence for the happy form of government, the sacred, and unalienable liberty of
the subject, and the impartial administration of justice, which render the constitution
of this kingdom the envy and admiration of the whole world. And this sketch we are
the better qualified to give, having resisted upwards of six years in different parts of
Germany, during which period we have had numberless opportunities of witnessing
the most atrocious instances of cruelty, tyranny, despotism, and oppression
The feudal laws, which still in a great measure prevail in most parts of Germany,
render the generality of nobility, and lords of manors, little better than so many petty
tyrants. Proud of his descent, the meanest country squire that can prefix the syllable
von to his name, considers himself as belonging to a superiors race of beings, and if
he possesses an estate, treats his tenants with less ceremony than his cattle: for which
reason the villagers, instead of being termed tenants to the lord of the manor, are not
unjustly denominated his subjects; (untherthamen) and, in fact, their condition is but
one degree above chit of slaves, being compelled to do services for their said lord; to
cultivate his grounds; sow and reap his fields; fell his timber; drain his fish-ponds,
&c., whilst the women feed his flocks; weed his garden; and do all manner of dairy
and domestic work; and these services are not only performed without any prospect of
hire, but the miserable peasants, if they are employed in transporting timber, stones,
sand, or building materials, are further obliged to make use of their own oxen, which
in this country frequently supply the place of draught horses. Hence as the owners of
estates have the work and labour of their peasants in some places four days in the
week, in others five, according to the custom of the manor, without pay or hire, it is
their interest to follow husbandry in all its different branches. They grow, and fell,
timber, send to market butter and cheese, rear cattle, and deal in fish, with twenty
other articles. Hence the German nobility, with all their haughtiness and pride, might
not improperly be denominated farmers and graziers. Hence their houses, instead of
exhibiting the elegance and superb magnificence which are displayed in the country
seats of our English gentry, can hardly be compared with one half of the farm-yards in
this kingdom. The manor-house is generally a large, clumsy, shapeless ill-contrived
building, affording no other prospect than a stinking yard, or court, where a dozen
miserable women, with petticoats hardly reaching to their knees, and neither shoes nor
stockings to their feet, stand sifting cinders, tossing dung about, whilst a whole herd
of swine run grunting up and down the place, driving cocks, hens, and geese before
them.
Many of these manor-houses, or, as they term them castles, (schloesser) are
monuments from the ancient times of chivalry, when the knights and different orders
of nobility formed a lawless body of banditti, that living by plunder and rapine,
infested the whole country, and therefore erected these castles to serve them as places
-20-
 The Necromancer

could do anything to please him. Even his own children he would bang and kick about
like dogs, and, for the least trifle, order them to be thrown into a dark filthy hole or
dungeon, where they were at last starved to death. His subjects he never called by any
other name than his beasts, and as such he treated them. In short, he was a true devil
incarnate!
"Now, this wicked man delighted in nothing so much as in hunting. In his
woods he harboured all kinds of game, even the most savage—wild boars
especially—which made terrible havoc and ruination in the fields and gardens of his
peasants: and yet, if any of the latter only offered to drive away one of those furious
animals, that was, perhaps, treading down his corn or devouring his turnips, he was
sure to be confined for weeks together upon bread and water.7<7>
"Whenever this nobleman thought proper to go a hunting, the whole village
was obliged to draw out and accompany him; and on these occasions he would make
them supply the place of dogs, and set them upon the game, which whenever they
were not able to catch, he would horsewhip and worry them with his hounds till they
fell down dead at his feet.
"One time, as he was indulging in these cruel practices till late at night, he was
thrown from his horse, and broke his neck upon the spot. The clergy would not suffer
him to be interred in the churchyard like a Christian, for which reason he was buried
in a corner of his park. But now the terrible judgments of divine vengeance became
manifest; for to the present day his wretched soul is not suffered to rest. At certain
stated times and seasons the wrath of Almighty God obliges him every night, the
moment it strikes twelve, to ride through the village, and, with Beelzebub and his
hellish train, to drive into the manor-house, where he is fain to stay till one o'clock in
the morning, which no sooner is heard to strike, than the whole infernal troop of them
are remanded back to the bottomless pit.
"Since his death the manor-house has always been untenantable. Many who
have foolishly attempted to sleep in it have paid for their temerity with their lives.
Nay, I know it to be a fact, that several who have slept in my house, and who, on

of retreat and defence. In buildings originally constructed with this design, elegance
and propriety of style constituted, as we may reasonably suppose, the last and least
object of their views, and therefore we cannot wonder if the gloomy appearance of
these castles, surrounded, as they frequently are, with high walls, a moat, or ditch, and
furnished with a drawbridge, still causes them to resemble a den of thieves, or a
county gaol, rather than the residence of his noble, high-born, and illustrious
excellency, my Lord Count von Habenichts, or my Lord Baron von Sauerkraut.
So overstocked is Germany with nobility, that they are literally a public nuisance, and
difficult is it to determine whether they are most notorious for their haughtiness, or for
their poverty and insignificance. The right of primogeniture, which renders our
English aristocracy so wealthy and respectable, is little known in a country where
titles and estate are inherited by every branch of the family, however numerous.
Hence we are bold to affirm, that many journeymen mechanics in this metropolis are
not only in better circumstances than hundreds of the German counts and barons, but
have moreover as just a claim to rank and title.
7
Here again the translator cannot help commenting upon the happy contrast which
the laws of this country exhibit. Who ever read, or heard of a single instance where
the liberty of the subject was put in competition with so paltry, and insignificant an
object as the preservation, or rather monopoly of hares and partridges?
-21-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

hearing the noise of his approach, have been daring enough to look out at window,
have been punished with a swelled face, or even a particular cast in their eye, if not
with a total deprivation of sight, for their rash curiosity."
With these words our landlord concluded his long-winded harangue; and,
wistfully eyeing us all round, regaled his delighted optics with the astonishment
portrayed in our countenances. His pleasure was, however, of short duration; the
Lieutenant instantly bursting out into a loud fit of laughter, for which, from the silence
he observed during the landlord's narration, he seemed to have purposely reserved the
whole collected force of his lungs.
"Nay, Sir, you may laugh as you please," replied the latter, with no small
degree of impatience; "but I'll venture to lay the last farthing I'm worth in the world,
that you laugh on the other side of your mouth by to-morrow morning, provided you
have heart sufficient to stay here over night."
"That you shall soon see," was the Lieutenant's reply; "not only here, my good
friend, but in the very castle itself: and, were it haunted with a whole legion of
devils—were it the very palace and Pandemonium of Beelzebub!—will I pass the
ensuing night. These gentlemen, I make no doubt," addressing his discourse to the
Count and myself, "will gladly favour me with their company."
My young nobleman was a man of honour. Not to accept this challenge would
have appeared to him an indelible stain upon his character. His assent, therefore, was
quickly given. For my part, I started a thousand objections, and, representing to the
Lieutenant the danger we might expose ourselves to, uncertain as we were what kind
of spirits we should have to deal with, left no argument untried to dissuade him from
his project: but the Lieutenant, cutting me short:
"I am a soldier, and wear a sword; and for gentlemen of our profession, ghosts
of every description, both with bodies and without, have always the most prodigious
respect!"
In short, I plainly saw that, by pretending to assert my magisterial authority
over the Count, I should only render myself ridiculous without effecting my purpose;
for so resolutely bent was he upon accompanying the Lieutenant at all events, that I
am convinced he would have gone without me, had I persisted in my refusal. Forced,
therefore, however reluctantly, to comply, I at length gave way to their entreaties; for
to desert my pupil would have appeared to me an unpardonable breach of trust.
But how shall I describe the behaviour of our landlord when he found us fully
determined upon this adventure! His astonishment exceeded all conception, and, with
uplifted eyes and hands, he conjured us, in the name of the ever blessed Virgin Mary,
and all the holy saints, to desist from so rash an enterprise. "I'll answer for it with my
head,"—was his repeated declaration,—"that not one of you will live to see the light
of another day."
The Lieutenant, however, turning all his pious remonstrances into ridicule,
soon worked upon the irritability of his temper to that degree, that he left us to our
fate, grumbling some hearty curses as he hurried out of the room.
Our conversation, as may easily be imagined, turned more upon spiritual than
political subjects; when, after having pretty well exhausted our stock of ghostly
knowledge, the Lieutenant proposed a walk to the haunted castle, very judiciously
observing, that it might not, perhaps, be altogether amiss to take a nearer view, by
daylight, of those formidable premises which we had fixed upon for our nocturnal

-22-
 The Necromancer

rendezvous. This proposal meeting with universal approbation, we hurried to put it

into immediate execution.
An enormous pile of building in the Gothic taste, but terribly ruined and
demolished, presented itself to our eyes. The castle was surrounded with a high wall,
besides a wide and deep ditch in front, over which a drawbridge afforded us an easy
passage. We had no occasion to stand knocking at the gate, for thrown, as it was, wide
open, a troop of horse might have entered it in full gallop. The appearance of the place
had something wonderfully awful and romantic. We drew, as with one common
consent, our hangers8, the moment we set foot in the hall. The pavement was of brick,
but overgrown with weeds and mouldering grass. From thence we continued our way
through a flight of empty desolate apartments, where spiders, rats, and owls, appeared
to be the only tenants. Windows covered with dirt, with cobwebs, and even moss
itself, afforded no other light than what found admission through the broken panes of
glass: just sufficient to discover to our view the mouldering remains of several ancient
pieces of furniture; broken tables; chairs without backs; part of the iron-work of a
large lamp suspended by a chain of the same metal, from the ceiling of one of the
rooms; with two or three rickety benches, that seemed ready to fall to pieces under the
touch: these were the sole signs of the place ever having been inhabited by man.
Curiosity now prompted us to take a view of the subterraneous apartments of
this antique building. Previous to our setting out on this expedition, we had the
precaution to provide ourselves with a lantern and the necessary apparatus for
procuring fire, which we now found exceedingly serviceable. A stone staircase, at the
further extremity of the hall, conducted us to a long, narrow, winding passage, arched
over with brick-work, and terminating in a door cased over with iron. The Lieutenant
still leading the way, with his lantern in one hand, and his drawn sword in the other,
boldly advanced towards the door, which, yielding to his push, discovered a large
vaulted place, resembling a cellar, but entirely empty, waste, and darker than the
shades of midnight. A tainted air, impregnated with baneful vapours and pestilential
dews, almost deprived us of the faculty of breathing, when first we set foot in this
subterraneous dungeon. On each side, facing the entrance, we perceived a pair of
folding doors, secured with enormous bolts and a prodigious portcullis of massy iron.
In vain was it for us to attempt further entrance. We hastened therefore from this
loathsome scene back to the hall, where, like fishes restored to their native element,
we felt our hearts expand on once more breathing fresh air.
As this appeared to us the most eligible place for passing the night, and giving
our ghostly friends the meeting, in case they should think proper to pay us a visit, we
endeavoured to fit it up for their reception and our own as conveniently as possible.
For this purpose, with the help of some rusty nails and detached pieces of wood,
which we found in abundance in the solitary apartments, we at length contrived to
make one of the old broken tables stand pretty decently upon its legs. We next
essayed our ingenuity upon a couple of the rickety benches, which were likewise, with
much trouble, put in a condition that promised to secure us from all danger of their
breaking down under us.
Not yet satisfied, however, with the discoveries we had made, we wandered
once more through the spacious untenanted apartments of the castle, but everywhere
could meet with nothing but mouldering monuments of ruin and decay. The garden
was the next place that curiosity prompted us to visit. Melancholy, indeed, was the

8
Hanger: A short sword which hangs from a belt.
-23-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

prospect that here presented itself.—Here was literally a place for dragons, for beasts
and birds obscene, and for everything that is filthy and abominable. Overgrown as it
was with thorns and briers, with thistles, weeds, nettles, and long grass that whistled
in the wind, our feet were not seldom entangled in the mazy labyrinth, whilst our
hangers were fain to open us a passage, which the spreading branches, indissolubly
twisted and interwoven with each other, seemed unwilling to afford us. Thus we
continued our toilsome march through a long winding alley, formed of a double row
of beech-trees, that led to the extremity of the garden, at the upper end of which we
discovered, emerging from the confused mass of briers, thorns, &c. that surrounded
and almost concealed it from our view, a black marble urn, supported by a column of
red porphyry. The workmanship was truly exquisite, but our eyes searched in vain for
any inscription; and already were we proceeding on our return, when the Count's foot
stumbled against some hard body, buried among the weeds, at no great distance from
the urn: on inspection, it proved to be a wooden cross, on which the following words
were barely legible:
HIC JACET
GODOFREDUS HAUSSINGERUS,
PECCATOR.9
The date, if I mistake not, was 1603.
After gazing on each other for some time in silent astonishment, "What,
gentlemen, "demanded the Lieutenant, "is your opinion of this curious epitaph?"
"For my part," replied the Count hastily, "I consider it as a convincing
evidence of the truth of our landlord's narration."
Fatigued as we already were with the arduous task of opening to ourselves a
passage with our hangers through the mazy windings and intricate labyrinths of this
desolated place (for garden it certainly could no longer be called, with any propriety),
we felt little inclination to extend our painful researches to its remoter parts, but
hurried back to the main hall, where meeting with no fresh objects to excite our
curiosity, we set out on our return to the inn.
Our landlord, from whom we had cautiously concealed our projected visit to
the castle, was, on our return, almost petrified with horror and astonishment at our
bold, and, as he called it, astonishing presumption. At the same time, conceiving it his
duty to deter us, if possible, from rushing on certain and immediate destruction, lest
our blood, he observed, might peradventure fall upon him, he fairly washed his hands
of us, giving us the second edition of his morning lecture, enriched with various
additions, emendations, and improvements. But, alas! his pious intentions met with no
better success than before. The Lieutenant, indulging his natural propensity for satire,
soon rallied him out of all temper; wherefore, giving us up for a precious triumvirate
of stiff-necked incorrigible blockheads, he only requested of us to settle the reckoning
before our departure; and, wishing us that success which he dared not to hope, took
his leave of us as of persons no longer designed for this world.
It was between nine and ten at night that we sallied from the inn, all three
well-armed with a hanger and a couple of pistols per man; excepting the Lieutenant's
servant, who, though he carried fire-arms, (being provided with a lantern) acted
chiefly in the capacity of sutler to the troop. Heroes in all ages have ever found an
empty stomach a great drawback upon valour, for which reason, the Lieutenant, who
understood the whole art of war, both theory and practice, as well as Caesar or
9
"Here lies Gottfried Haussinger, a sinner."
-24-
 The Necromancer

Alexander the Great, and very sagaciously reflected that, in a place where ghosts were
supposed to inhabit, little store of belly-timber was to be expected, took care to clap a
basket with a couple of roast fowls and three or four bottles of wine upon his servant's
shoulders, and, thus equipped at all points, we began our march.
On our arrival at the appointed place of rendezvous, we found everything
exactly in the same order as we had left it. Table and benches were still standing as
firm as ever; we took our seats, and, encouraged by the Lieutenant's example, ate as
heartily as any pious Catholic may be supposed to do previously to a seven weeks'
Lent, not forgetting to do justice to the wine, which circulated briskly enough. This
time, however, good cheer was found to fail of the desired effect; for, instead of
inspiriting our drooping valour, it acted rather like a leaden weight upon our eyelids,
which with difficulty were kept from closing, although the clock had not yet struck
eleven. The intermediate space between this and the canonical hour of meeting our
ghostly friends we endeavoured to beguile by reading Hagedorn's Poems, of which I
fortunately happened to have a copy with me. In this office I was alternately assisted
by the Count and the Lieutenant, till the latter, on examining his watch, and finding it
within a quarter of twelve, closed the book, and, briskly running upstairs to a front
room in the first floor, took his stand facing the window, which commanded as fair a
view of the forecourt, and the circumjacent plain, as a dark unfriendly night would
admit. The Count and myself followed his example, and in this posture we awaited
the scenes that were to follow, leaving the Lieutenant's servant fast asleep in the hall.
At length the ominous hour began to strike,—more awful, in our present
circumstances, than the funeral knell of some departed friend. Dreadful was the
midnight silence that reigned around us. The very pulse of nature seemed suspended;
even the faculty of breathing was almost taken from us. And now the last stroke
ceased to vibrate on our ears. Instantly shook the whole fabric with the sound of
horns, trumpets, &c. that seemed to rend the echoing air; whilst the dashing of horses'
hoofs made the solid ground tremble as with an earthquake: the rams' horns of Jericho
were mere pop-guns—the downfall of its walls a mere crash, compared with the
dreadful thunder that now assailed our ears. Impenetrable darkness, however, added to
the velocity of their course, prevented us from gratifying our curiosity, and
distinguishing the authors of all this wild and terrible uproar.
Swift as the winged whirlwind, and with equal impetuosity, advanced the
sable troop. Three times they made the circuit of the walls; then, suddenly halting,
drew up at no great distance from the castle, facing the drawbridge. In an instant died
away the noise, like the doubtful blast still quivering on the trees, "when the rude
storm has blown its fill." Silence resumed her wonted empire; but not the less
impossible was it for us to discover either horse or rider.
Whilst we stood bewildered in thought, and forming conjectures on the scene
we had just witnessed, a more immediate subject of alarm presented itself in the court.
The rattling of spurs; the sound of footsteps, whether human or not, was uncertain;
and a confused noise, as from a multitude passing and repassing, gave us reason to
apprehend that the troop had dismounted, and were preparing to pay us a visit.
Involuntary horror seized upon me: a cold sweat overran my whole frame; my knees
tottered: I feared, I trembled, I knew not why. This noise, however, was of short
duration; for, like the former, it gradually died away, and was succeeded by gloomy
and profound silence.

-25-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

"Shall we rush into the court? Shall we seek to join them?" demanded the
Lieutenant with his usual firmness and intrepidity. I shook my head by way of reply;
the Count did the same.
"Then am I like to go alone, it seems!" returned the fiery youth, and
immediately sallied down stairs, holding a pistol on full cock in each hand, and his
drawn sword under his left arm. He was not long before he joined us again.
"There must be some mystery in all this," he exclaimed; "not the smallest trace
of either horse or rider to be found!"
No answer on our part sufficiently showed that we were equally at a loss to
account for so strange and singular an adventure. The Lieutenant seated himself, and,
with his eyes fixed immovably upon the ground, seemed lost in a deep reverie: the
Count endeavoured to banish more unwelcome ideas with reading; whilst I, giving
way to the calls of nature, soon lay buried in a profound sleep.
The report of a pistol awakened me; I started up incontinently. The sound of
horns and trumpets again saluted my ears, but presently the noise died away as before.
At the same instant the Lieutenant and the Count entered the room. They had, it
seems, like myself, been overpowered with sleep, from which they were roused by the
return of the uproar in the court, that had so greatly alarmed us at twelve. Eager,
therefore, to discover the authors, they had sallied out with their pistols. They met,
however, with little success: the whole troop was off before they reached the court.
The Lieutenant, dashing one of the panes of the hall window in pieces with his pistol,
sent a bullet after them; but, some white horses excepted, could discover nothing
through the impenetrable gloom that surrounded them.
"Ghosts or not," he concluded his narration, "they seem to stand in great awe
of us; and, for the present, my advice is, that we rather spend the remainder of the
night upon some clean straw in the inn, than continue here upon rotten benches of
wood, which we hardly dare trust with our weight."
This proposal was gladly accepted, and away we trudged to the inn, greatly to
the satisfaction of John, the Lieutenant's groom, who, it seems, took little delight in
hunting after ghosts.
Long had we to stand knocking at the inn-door before entrance was granted.
At length our landlord in person made his appearance.
"What! and are your honours still alive?" he began with fluttering voice,
crossing himself all the time: "or rather are ye come from purgatory, to upbraid me
with your destruction? Holy Father Romboldus!10 and all ye blessed saints, defend

10
The Roman Catholics, as is well known, boast such an infinite host of blessed saints
and worthies, that, like the heathen of old, they are never at a loss to whom to address
themselves, whether for help, comfort, or advice. Endless as is the dreadful list of
human woes, misfortunes, and calamities and all the various, complicated ills, which
flesh is heir to—it is impossible to state a single evil, that is not graciously provided
with its antidote, in the person of some guardian angel, some tutelary saint! Thus
women in labour address themselves to the , Blessed Ever-Virgin Mary. Maids in love
or dying with the Green-Sickness, implore Saint Paul, who declares it to be better to
marry than to burn: Saint Agnes or St. Catherine afford relief to patients of both sexes
labouring under venereal complaints ; sufferers by fire call upon Saint Brandanus for
deliverance: Saint Sebaslian is invoked with equal success against the dreadful
ravages of the plague; whilst saint Romboldus defends his votaries from ghosts,
-26-
 The Necromancer

me; and witness for me, how much I tried to dissuade them from their impious
undertaking!" With these words he banged the door without any further ceremony
right in our face.
Vexed as we were with this inhospitable reception, we could not refrain from
laughing, and that heartily, at the superstitious fears and ludicrous grimaces of our
landlord: till the Lieutenant, out of all patience (for the night was none of the
warmest), resolved to stand kicking his heels no longer. Thundering, therefore, at the
door, as though he designed to pull the house down over the owner's head, he swore
by all the saints in Christendom, that he would reduce the place to ashes, and utterly
annihilate every soul within it, unless immediate admittance was afforded us. This
menace failed not of the desired effect; our Cerberus presently relented, and, with
many awkward apologies begging pardon, for what in fact we had no right to be
offended at, spread some clean straw upon the floor, and, wishing us a good repose,
retired to his own apartment.
On our getting up, which was not till nearly noon, the Lieutenant declared
himself by no means satisfied with the result of last night's adventure; and, signifying
to us his intention of keeping watch the ensuing night in the forecourt of the castle,
concluded with desiring us to bear him company.
The Count's eyes immediately reverted to me, seeming to expect from my
reply that denial which he was unwilling to deliver himself. I accordingly represented
to the Lieutenant the impossibility of our complying with his request; that the nature
of our affairs would not suffer us to throw away any more time than had been lost
already; not to mention the danger of such an undertaking; four men being, at the best,
but a sorry match against a whole troop of horse, as we had every reason, from the
evidence of our own ears, to believe them.
"As to the danger of the frolic," replied the Lieutenant, "if that's your main
objection, it is easily removed. We need only take a dozen stout raw-boned fellows
along with us. A few shillings and a bottle of brandy (which, though not to be had
here, may easily be procured from some neighbouring town) will entitle us to pick and
choose our gang from the whole village; and take my word for it, Sir, we shall have a
frolic, the like of which was never seen. Tomorrow morning, if you think proper to
depart, you may depend upon my company as your fellow traveller."
The Count was easily prevailed upon; neither, indeed, was the proposal
displeasing to myself. The groom, therefore, was immediately despatched to the next
town to procure brandy, and other refreshments, whilst our postilion received
commission to sound his horn,11 as a signal. In a few minutes we had the whole
village assembled before the door, when, silence being ordered, the Lieutenant, from

spectres, and hobgoblins. Happy religion, that, ever mindful to the wants and
necessities of its followers, holds out, like Methodism,
"A sov’reign balm for ev’ry wound,
A Salve for ev’ry Sore!"
11
In Germany it is customary for the postilions to carry a small French horn with
them, which is certainly a more melodious instrument than that made use of by the
guards of the mail coach in this country. The Germans having a natural genius for
music, many of these postilions are tolerable performers; and where the road, as is
frequently the case, leads through large and extensive woods, this travelling concert
has a wonderful effect.
-27-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

the superior eminence of a deal table, addressed his wondering congregation to the
following effect: —
"Brave, gallant, and aspiring heroes! Such of you as have heart sufficient to
offer your services to accompany us to the haunted castle, well known to all
inhabitants of this village, there to remain, and spend the night with us, and in all
respects to act obedient to the orders which you shall then and there receive; such, I
say, as shall willingly offer their services for this purpose, and who, on inspection,
shall be judged worthy of being employed in so glorious a cause, shall receive the
sum of sixpence per man, over and above a plentiful supply of brandy and other
necessary refreshments, to keep your noble hearts from fainting."
Laughable was it to see the effects which this harangue produced. Not a man
in the whole assembly but immediately offered his services with so much zeal, that we
had reason to apprehend a premature exertion of their valour. To prevent, therefore, as
much as in us lay, the effusion of human blood (for they seemed ready to go to blows
for the preference), fifteen of the stoutest and most promising were drafted from this
heroic corps, and the residue, in order to atone for their disappointment, were
promised a proper reward, provided they demeaned themselves lovingly and
peaceably. Hereupon our troop received commission to attend us at the inn by ten
o'clock precisely. As to the choice of their weapons, that was left to their own
discretion.
Such vigorous preparations could not fail of exciting the utmost astonishment
in our landlord, who, now regarding us as something more than human—as sorcerers
and magicians at least, if not devils incarnate—seemed himself half willing to
accompany us, and assist in purging the haunted castle of the foul spirits that
inhabited it.
With the approach of evening, however, his courage began to cool; wherefore,
pretending some urgent business, that rendered his presence at home indispensably
necessary, he contented himself with wishing us success to our undertaking.
Our brave troop, on the other hand, neglected not to attend their appointment
with great punctuality; and formidable indeed was the appearance they made, armed
with scythes, pickaxes, flails, bludgeons, pitchforks, pruning-hooks, spades, and
whatever weapons chance or fancy put into their hands. Having drawn ourselves up in
battle-array before the inn-door, we began our march to the castle, headed by the
Lieutenant. In the rear followed our provision, camp equipage, and military stores;
consisting of brandy, cold roast beef, half a dozen peck loaves, together with some
benches, which we borrowed from the tap-room; a large deal table, the same on which
the Lieutenant made his famous harangue, and lastly an iron lamp, with the necessary
apparatus for procuring fire. These were conveyed in wheelbarrows, and in this
gallant order we made our triumphant entry into the castle.
The court having been marked out for the place of encampment, we pitched
our tents between the gate and the drawbridge. A plentiful libation was then made to
the god of brandy, whose nostrils must have been highly regaled with the grateful
fumes of incense and burnt offerings, every hero replenishing his pipe with a potent
supply of India's salutary weed; and, as our victory in this ghostly crusade, though
unfought, was none the less certain, hymns of triumph were sung beforehand on the
occasion.
In proportion as the contents of the brandy-bottle diminished, the courage and
musical disposition of our company increased. We had, therefore, no need, as on the
preceding night, to read ourselves hoarse, in order to repulse the encroaching
-28-
 The Necromancer

advances of sleep. The wonderful assistance which valour reaps from military
music—fifes, trumpets, drums, and kettle-drums, &c.—is too plain and obvious to
stand in need of any comment or illustration; otherwise, we might refer our readers to
the history of the Lacedaemonians, who, after suffering repeated defeats from the
Messenians, proved at length victorious,—not by their own inherent valour, or the
merit and skill of their commanders, but by choosing the Athenian songster and poet,
Tyrtaeus, for their general; although the said Tyrtaeus cut but a sorry figure for a
militia captain, inasmuch as he was blind of one eye, lame, and, in fact, passed for
little better than an idiot. If such, then, were the effects produced by one songster, in a
whole army, what must we suppose to have been the case with our brave troop,
consisting, as it did, of vocal performers from first to last? To so high a pitch was their
valour wound up, by the noble songs which they rehearsed, not forgetting to whet
their whistle, as occasion required, with plentiful draughts of brandy, that they
laughed at, challenged, and defied, the whole infernal host of hell, with Beelzebub,
their leader, at the head!
It was now within a few minutes of twelve. The Lieutenant, pointing to his
watch, beckoned with his hand: instantly the military concert was suspended; awful
silence succeeded in its place; expectation stood a tiptoe; and astonishment, mixed
with horror, appeared visibly portrayed in every countenance. Thus we kept our post
till the church-bell began to strike, at which our country boobies pricked up their ears,
and, with gaping mouths, seemed to swallow the sound. But when they heard the
distant dashing of horses' hoofs, and the thundering echo of trumpets, that followed
immediately upon the last strokes, nothing can convey an adequate idea of their terror
and surprise. They no longer dared to regard one another, except with stolen looks;
and had not fear effectually chained them to their seat, there is little room to doubt but
a precipitate flight, on their part, would soon have deprived us of our worthy
comrades and protectors.
Meanwhile the noise, increasing as it approached, drew nearer and nearer, and
presently was heard distinctly in the subterraneous apartments of the castle. Suddenly,
however, it subsided: all was perfectly still and silent as before. But, in less than ten
minutes, the uproar returned more powerful than ever; and, swift as lightning, though
still invisible, retreated the ghostly cavalcade, in full gallop, from the castle.
The Lieutenant, followed by the Count and myself, rushed out in pursuit of
them. But though we flew, as it were, upon wings, being fully determined to gratify
our curiosity, it was impossible for us to discover any other object than the distant
glare of some white horses. We returned, therefore, hopeless and dissatisfied, to our
companions.
These we found, on our entrance into the court, stretched out like dead, with
their faces to the ground. Table, lamp, benches, wheelbarrows,—in short, our whole
camp-equipage, together with the brandy-bottle and provisions which we had brought
with us, were gone. The moon, shining but dimly through the opposing clouds, barely
reflected light sufficient to make this discovery. Great, as may reasonably be
supposed, was our astonishment. The Lieutenant, seizing one of our prostrate
companions by the shoulders, gave him two or three hearty shakes, and endeavoured
to lift him on his legs; but this valiant champion, firmly persuaded that he was under
the clutches of some blood-thirsty caco-daemon, who, in all probability, wanted to
hurry him away, full drive, to the bottomless pit, began to roar out so lustily, that we
had presently the whole troop at their prayers, each one imploring assistance from his
favourite saint. Sancta Mater and Kyrie Eleison, intermixed with groans unutterable,

-29-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

resounded from every quarter. The scene was ludicrous beyond description, and fully
justified the assertion of the Roman poet—

"Primus in orbe Deos fecit timor."12

After feasting our eyes and ears a full hour at least with the cowardly devotion
of these miserable wretches, we adjourned to the inn, leaving our companions to
celebrate high mass by themselves. Our landlord was not a little surprised at seeing us
return unattended, and accosted us with at least a thousand questions; but as we stood
in need of rest, we deferred satisfying his inquisitive curiosity till morning, and laid
ourselves down upon the straw prepared for our reception.
Our sleep, however, was not of long duration, for no sooner did it begin to
dawn, than the whole village was in an uproar, and young and old assembled before
the inn-door. Our gallant companions, it seems, with the return of day, had gradually
got the better of their fears, and, venturing at last to look around them, discovered, to
their no small surprise, that we were missing. Whether their grief at our supposed
destruction proceeded from any real regard, or from the fear of losing the promised
gratuity for their faithful services, they immediately hurried to the inn, and, with
dreadful lamentations, related the disaster that had happened. Laughable was it for us
to hear the various strange and contradictory accounts which they gave of last night's
adventure. Some would have it that we were torn in pieces; others swore roundly, that
they had seen us carried off by a whole legion of devils: but all of them were
unanimous in bearing honourable testimony to their own prowess, and the signal feats
of heroism they had achieved. But what was their surprise at learning from our
landlord, who hitherto had purposely concealed this intelligence from them, that we
were not only still in the land of the living, but had returned triumphant from the
ghostly expedition! At first they refused to give credit to his words, but, finding him
positive in his assertions, they insisted on being introduced to us immediately. This
accordingly took place; mutual congratulations passed between us, the promised
reward was faithfully distributed, and, after satisfying our landlord for the loss of his
tables, benches, &c, we began to prepare for our departure. The Lieutenant, indeed,
wished still to try his luck once more, and, for that purpose, proposed that we should
secrete ourselves in the castle the ensuing night; but to this neither the Count nor
myself would in any wise consent.
We set out, therefore, about seven in the morning, though the weather was far
from favourable, the wind getting exceedingly high, which, added to the frequent
flying showers that passed over us, rendered the air extremely cold and damp. Already
were we within less than a mile of the Black Forest, when I perceived the Lieutenant,
who rode on horseback before us, accompanied by his groom, suddenly stop short:
after a short pause, he turned round his horse's head, and took a cross direction,
towards a small rivulet that flowed on the left side of the road. Curiosity prompted me
to look after him—I let down the window of the carriage, and discovered an object
that demanded my whole attention.
Regardless of the raging storm and beating rain, that now began to fall pretty
rapidly, sat a hoary-headed hermit, venerable with age, on the summit of a rock that
projected nearly half-way over the stream. He held in his hands a volume of
considerable size, and seemed entirely absorbed in contemplation. No friendly

"It was fear that first made gods in the world." Lucretius, Of the Nature of Things,
12

Bk. III l.661

-30-
 The Necromancer

covering defended his aged head from the rude inclemency of the storm; his grey
locks sported with the wind, and, dropping wet with the rain, watered his back and
shoulders: his dress was equally singular, consisting of a loose robe, or gown,
fastened about his loins with a leathern girdle, after the manner of the Asiatics, and
seemed to proclaim him a native of the east; at his feet lay a long pilgrim's staff, an
hour-glass, and a knapsack made of tiger's skin.
Struck with surprise at the sight of this extraordinary character, I instantly
quitted the carriage, in order to converse with him; the Count followed my example.
We arrived at the spot just as the Lieutenant began to interrogate him.
"And pray, Mr. Wiseacre, what book is that you are studying so intensely?"
The sage seemed to take no notice of this question, but continued to read,
without answering a word.
"What book have you there? demanded the Lieutenant a second time, alighting
from his horse, placing himself behind the pilgrim, and endeavouring to look over his
shoulder.
Still the sage made no reply, but kept his eyes immovably fixed upon the book
he was reading.
My curiosity was, if possible, still greater than the Lieutenant's; I accordingly
stationed myself quite close to the wonderful stranger, in order to take a nearer view,
both of his person and the volume he held in his hand. The leaves were of yellow
parchment, and apparently of great antiquity; the characters bore some resemblance to
the Arabic, and were, as I perceived, drawn with a pen in various colours, but chiefly
in red and gold.
Meanwhile, the Count and Lieutenant had insensibly engaged the pilgrim in
discourse. The latter giving Mr. Wiseacre, as he termed him, a shake by the shoulders,
and that none of the softest, repeated, with authoritative voice, his former demand: —
"What is it you are studying, my friend?"
The sage seemed evidently disconcerted; knit his brows, and, slowly raising
his head, regarded us a long time with fixed and silent indignation: then opening his
lips, with a voice calculated to inspire the utmost reverence and awe, replied —
"Wisdom!"
Count. "And pray what language is it, then, in which this book is written?"
Pilgrim. "The language of wisdom.
Count. "And what is it you call wisdom?"
Pilgrim. "Everything of which thou hast no conception."
Lieutenant. "Well then, Mr. Wiseacre, that being the case, as you possess such
extraordinary knowledge of things which the rest of mankind have no conception of, I
shall be happy, methinks, to ask you a question or two.
Pilgrim. (viewing him sternly). "Ask on."
Lieutenant. "Not far from this place stands a village, which is said to be
haunted by a whole troop of devils. The manor-house, it seems, is their nocturnal
place of rendezvous. These gentlemen, together with myself, have kept watch in the
castle these two nights past—"
Pilgrim (interrupting him). "And yet are not a whit the wiser than before: for
thou art not the man to whom wisdom deigns her hidden lore; nor is the management
of ghosts to thee intrusted."

-31-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

Lieutenant. "That man, we suppose, can be no other than yourself."

Pilgrim. "I understand the language of wisdom."
The Lieutenant, naturally addicted to raillery, could no longer refrain from
bursting into a loud laugh. Of this the pilgrim took no manner oi notice; but, returning
to his former study, was soon absorbed in meditation, from which, however, he was
again roused by the Count.
"Friend," began the latter, as such great wisdom appears to be contained in the
book you read, may we be allowed to ask who those spirits are, and for what reason
they thus infest the above-mentioned castle?"
Pilgrim (after a long pause). "None but "the spirits themselves dare resolve
thee that question.
Count. "What, then, does your famous book of wisdom treat of?"
Pilgrim. "Of the manner in which spirits may be forcibly compelled to appear,
and a full confession extorted from them."
Count. "How happens it, then, that you have never essayed your art upon those
which disturb the peace of the neighbouring village?"
Pilgrim. "Because I have no wish, no interest in the case."
Lieutenant. "Well but, Mr. Wiseacre, suppose that we should make you an
offer of our purses; might not money, perhaps, have some weight in persuading you to
make a trial of your skill?"
Pilgrim (in a violent rage). "Mean sordid wretch! begone—can gold be
deemed equivalent to wisdom?"
Lieutenant. "What, then, can purchase it?"
Pilgrim. "Nothing! Will your courage stand the test?"
Lieutenant. "Were there any doubt of that, we should not have ventured to
keep watch in a place so formidable."
Pilgrim. "Well, then, watch one night more: precisely three quarters past
eleven you will see me, to a certainty. Meanwhile, leave me to my meditations."
The peremptory tone and manner in which he pronounced these words put it
out of our power to disobey.—We retreated slowly to our carriage, looking back,
almost every minute, at the wonderful pilgrim, who instantly relapsed into his former
study. The Lieutenant, as he remounted his horse, proposed that we should return to
the inn, and, putting off our departure till the morrow, give the stranger the meeting at
the time appointed.
Much as I disliked the project, it was in vain for me to raise objections: the
curiosity of the Count was wound up to its highest pitch; my consent, therefore, was
rather extorted than obtained from me.
Our landlord, on learning the cause of our return, was little better than
distracted with joy; for, exclusive of the profits he hoped to reap from another ghostly
frolic, having been paid more than double the value of his table, benches, &c. lost in
our last expedition, his brain was next kin to turned, with the marvellous relations
which our valiant companions gave of the adventure. Nothing was talked of, but how
frightfully the spectres had appeared; how furiously they broke in upon us; how they
breathed fire and smoke through their nostrils; with eyes flaming-red, as big as any
pint basins: notwithstanding all which, they had, they said, laid so manfully about
them, that the whole infernal troop was forced to take a precipitate flight, and were,

-32-
 The Necromancer

long before this, ten miles at least below the bottom of the Red Sea! Hence, we saw
ourselves regarded, by the whole village, as beings of a superior order, and had
enough to do to answer all the questions put to us by our admirers. This was highly
pleasing to the Lieutenant, who diverted himself, the whole day, with practising upon
the simplicity of these rustics; and, I am firmly persuaded, told more fortunes in the
course of six hours than many astrologers have an opportunity of doing in the course
of as many years.
On the approach of night, we had a numerous army at command, without
being necessitated, as before, to beat up for volunteers; young and old entreating us to
permit them to bear us company: they neither demanded pay nor provisions; the bare
honour of serving under us was, as they observed, more than sufficient recompense.
Company, however, was not what we at present wanted; not to mention that we had
already but too well experienced what sort of dependence we ought to place upon
their valour and assistance: we dissembled, therefore, our intentions; but, finding even
this ineffectual to answer our purpose, we were fain, in order to get rid of our
troublesome visitors, to pretend ourselves sleepy, and to order the straw to be got
ready for our reception.
About ten we stole away as privately as possible to the castle. On our arrival in
the court, the Lieutenant's servant lighted up the lamp we had brought with us; after
which we repaired to the hall, where, finding the benches we had formerly erected for
our accommodation still standing, we seated ourselves, and waited in anxious
expectation the time appointed for meeting our unknown conductor.
The Lieutenant appeared doubtful whether the pilgrim might not fail of his
appointment, and discovered evident symptoms of mistrust, that he had no other view
in promising to meet us, than merely to sport with our credulity. But the Count, who,
from his youth, had always manifested a strong hankering after the marvellous, was so
entirely prepossessed with the venerable appearance of the hoary-headed sage, that he
was ready to pledge his honour for his punctuality. This gave birth to a curious
controversy between the Lieutenant and the Count, on the subject of supernatural
agency; the former ridiculing the whole system as visionary and preposterous, whilst
the latter was firmly of opinion that, however exaggerated and disguised such
accounts might be in the detail, the doctrine itself was founded in truth and
experience. For my part, I cursed and damned the pilgrim most devoutly, and only
wished that we had never seen nor given ourselves the least trouble about him.
In this manner did we endeavour to beguile the tedious hour of expectation.
Before us lay our watches placed upon the table, to which our eyes almost
momentarily reverted. The minute-hand had hardly pointed to three quarters past
eleven, when we plainly distinguished the tread of human footsteps across the
passage.
"You are perfectly right, my lord," quoth the Lieutenant, addressing himself to
the Count, "our Pilgrim is a man of honour." With these words he snatched up the
lamp, and went to meet him.
Our conductor had now reached the hall. His dress was much the same as
when we first, beheld him, excepting that on his head he wore a kind of turban, and
carried his knapsack strapped about his shoulders. With slow and solemn steps he
approached the place where we were seated; then, suddenly stopping short, beckoned
with his hand for us to follow him. We obeyed, and, leaving the Lieutenant's servant
fast asleep, behind us, followed him to the stone staircase at the opposite end of the
hall. This we descended, and next traversed, in awful silence, the long winding

-33-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

passage to which it led, till we came to the door of the vault, which the Lieutenant had
burst open on our first visit to the castle.
Here our conductor again stopped short; took the lamp out of the hand of the
Lieutenant, and, viewing us attentively all round, with a stern forbidding look, that
seemed to presage strange wonders, addressed us in a trembling tone of voice:

Let awful silence seal your lips, nor dare

To tempt that fate which prudence bids beware;
For know one single word makes instant death your share."
The impression which his speech made upon our minds may be more easily
imagined than described. We entered the vault, not without horror and reluctance; this
time, however, we found the air of this subterraneous dungeon less noxious and
pestilential than before, owing, probably, to the door having been left open by the
Lieutenant, at the time it was forced, as related above. Our conductor, approaching the
folding doors on the right-hand side, pushed back the large enormous bolts which
guarded them with a degree of ease that well might create astonishment; then drawing
forth from his bosom a ponderous key of massy iron, fastened round his neck by a
chain of the same metal, he thrice pronounced a word of mystic, but to us
incomprehensible, meaning:

"—And in the keyhole turns

The intricate wards, and every bolt and bar
Unfastens: on a sudden, open fly,
With impetuous recoil and jarring sound,
The infernal doors, and on their hinges grate
Harsh thunder"
Horrible, beyond description, was the place into which we now entered. The
form was circular, arched over with brick, and totally impervious to the smallest ray
of light from without. Hollow sounded the ground beneath our feet, and every step we
took re-echoed back distantly from the walls. Facing the entrance, appeared another
pair of folding doors, secured with locks and bolts, more formidable than the former.
A blue inconstant flame, accompanied with a strong sulphurous smell that
rendered the faculty of breathing extremely difficult, whilst it enhanced the gloomy
horror of the scene, gradually discovered to our view the mouldering monuments of
ruin and decay. Rotten coffins, human bones, ghostly skulls, shrouds, scutcheons,
urns, and all the various symptoms of mortality, were seen on every side. In the
middle of the vault arose a lofty bier, which supported a black leaden coffin, of
unusual magnitude. Over it hung a lamp, dependent from a triple chain of iron.
Our conductor uncovered his head; we followed his example, and ranged
ourselves, in awful silence, round the coffin, but still at such a distance, that we could
barely touch it with outstretched arms. Then placing the lamp held in his hands upon
the floor, the necromantic sage proceeded to untie his knapsack, from which, together
with the book he was studying when we first set eyes upon him, he took out a magic
wand, composed of three different pieces, which fastened together in one, by means
of joints, like a fishing-rod, and a tin box filled with red sand.
With this he bestrewed the adjacent parts of the floor; and, having fastened his
rod together, described therewith three magic circles, parallel at equal distances in the
sand. The innermost was occupied by the exorcist; in the second stood the Count, the
Lieutenant, and myself; the outermost being left empty, probably by way of defence,

-34-
 The Necromancer

or to serve as a rampart, in case the evil spirits should think proper to meditate any
sudden attack upon us. Thus duly armed, entrenched, and fortified, according to the
Demoniac system of tactics—such of our readers as wish for a fuller account of this
science, are respectfully referred to the famous treatise, De Daæmonologia, published
by that learned and pious scribe, Joannes Bodinus—we held ourselves in readiness
against the ghostly invasion.
The sage, crossing his hands over his breast, stood for some minutes
motionless as a statue, with his eyes directed towards heaven, or at least towards the
ceiling of the vault. Suddenly, he appeared seized with violent convulsions; the
features of his countenance became distorted to a ghastly degree, his eyes began to
roll, his brows knitted together, in a manner hideous to behold; his teeth chattered in
his head, his hair bristled up like quills upon the fretful porcupine; in short, every part
of his body bore witness to the big feelings with which his heart seemed ready to
burst. Words at length found their way, but in a language to us quite unintelligible.—
They were pronounced in a hollow tone of voice, and with surprising vehemence. He
next opened the mystic book, and, with the same continued agitation of face and body,
began to read in a kind of half whisper; the sweat all the time running down his face,
as though the iron hand of death had seized upon him.
The longer the sage continued to read, the more terrible became his
convulsions; till, at length, unable to contain himself, he flung the book out of his
hand with great violence against the ground. Immediately the fury of his looks
subsided, his eyes ceased to roll, and his whole frame became more composed. With
both his hands outstretched, and pointing with his wand to the coffin that lay before
us, he again stood motionless as a statue.
The sound of horns and trumpets, with which the whole fabric now began to
shake, proclaimed the arrival of the midnight hunters. Still the sage continued
motionless. The noise drew nearer, and presently the troop rushed thundering into the
court. Still the sage continued motionless. The next instant we heard them rapidly
descending the stone staircase. Inward horror seized upon us: but still the sage
continued motionless. And now the tread of their feet resounded along the narrow
winding passage that led to the vault next us. The sage, with a sudden motion turning
himself round in his circle, waved his magic wand in the air, and all was silent in a
moment.
Thrice, with tremendous voice, the sage pronounced a mystic word of
unknown import; striking each time violently with his wand against the ground. Earth
heard the summons, and obeyed. A sudden flash of lightning shot trembling across the
walls, whilst, thundering in our ears, was heard the dreadful subterraneous peal. All
nature seemed convulsed; rocked, as with an earthquake; shook the hollow vault; our
lamps, though well supplied with oil, refused to burn, and, ere the deep-mouthed
thunder ceased to roll, we found ourselves surrounded with midnight darkness.
Soon, however, a faint glimmering light began to diffuse itself from the centre
of the vault, increasing every moment, till the place was sufficiently illuminated for us
to distinguish the surrounding object. We now perceived, with horror and
astonishment, that this light proceeded from the inside of the leaden coffin, the lid of
which, gradually lifting up, apparently from some internal force, at length disclosed to
view a human figure, pale and ghostly, clad in a flowing white garment, stained with
blood. With wild disorder in her looks, she cast her hollow eyes around; pushed back
the long black tresses of her hair, which, matted with gore, descended below her
waist, and, baring her bosom, pointed to the gaping orifice of a deadly wound,

-35-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

inflicted beneath her left breast. Drops of blood still trickled from her pierced heart,
and dreadfully resounded her groans from the vault.

Approaching the other circle with a furious threatening mien, she seemed
preparing to rush upon us. The sage stretched forth his hand, struck thrice with his
wand against the magic boundary, and instantly the threatening form shrank back.
"Who art thou?" demanded the apparition; "and by what authority dare thy
unhallowed steps profane the place where spirits unembodied seek repose?"
"And who art thou!" replied the sage sternly, and not the least daunted, "that
darest disturb the peace of this ill-fated mansion?" "Not I!" howled she, in a
lamentable piteous tone of voice; not I, but the damned spirit of my husband! Bear
witness, this accursed steel—displaying a bloody dagger in her right hand—bear
witness, this deep wound, still reeking with my gore;" here she again pointed to her
breast—"'tis he, and he alone, disturbs the peace of this whole village; 'tis he that
violates even my repose!"
The Sage. "But wherefore?"
Spirit. "No time was given for repentance: no friendly warning bade me in
haste secure my peace with heaven. Fearless, I pressed the downy couch; undreaded
and unseen, the dark assassin dealt the murderous blow. Thus sent with all my sins

-36-
 The Necromancer

unpardoned on my head, I suffer here, awhile, the torments of the purging flame. But
double wrath pursues my murderer, whom the righteous Judge above has doomed to
bear the punishment due to his sins and mine!"
The Sage. "Unhappy spirit! Betake thyself to rest. By the deep secrets of yon
mystic book! By that dread power which hell itself controls! By all the terrors of the
world unknown! I swear thy rest shall never be disturbed!"
The spirit, making a low bow in token of gratitude, regained the coffin, where
it presently disappeared under the lid, which now returned to its former place. The
light that issued from the inside gradually died away, as the coffin closed, leaving us
once more involved in thick impenetrable darkness.
Petrified with horror and amazement, having neither will to stay nor power to
move, we stood a long time senseless and immovable. At length a dreadful flash of
lightning, bursting full in our faces, ran whizzing: along; the walls, and louder than
before rattled the hoarse rebellious thunder in our ears. Instantaneously our lamps,
self-lighted, began to burn again; whilst silence once more resumed its wonted empire
around us.
Our conductor hereupon, with great composure, gathered up the scattered
contents of his knapsack, replaced it upon his shoulders, and beckoned, with his hand,
for us to follow him. After carefully relocking the door, and pushing home the bolts,
he drew forth from his pocket a piece of yellow parchment, about six inches square,
and inscribed with the same kind of characters as his book appeared to be written in.
This he laid upon the wings of the folding doors, in such a manner that it covered both
in equal proportions; then sealing it at the four corners with red wax, and a large iron
seal, he again pronounced some short mystic sentences, and with his wand described
the emblem of a cross from one end of the door to the other.
We were now in the empty vault which we had before visited on our first
excursion to the castle. The sage, advancing to the opposite door on the left hand,
repeated his mystic ceremonies. The lock soon yielded to his trusty key. We entered.
Our way led through another winding passage, arched over with brick like the former,
but much wider and longer; with this additional difference, that it had six or seven
doors, all strongly secured on each side, besides a larger one of massy iron, in which it
terminated.
This being likewise opened with great ease, we had next to ascend a long
flight of stone steps: at the top of which, another door, studded with enormous iron
nails, presented itself. Here our conductor again stopped short, paused a while, and
with great solemnity repeated his former injunctions respecting silence, although there
seemed but little need for this precaution, not a single word having been exchanged
between us all the time.
The opening of this door was attended with much greater ceremony than any
other. We likewise took notice that our conductor, for this purpose, made use of a
different key than he had before employed: a circumstance which seemed rather
ominous to the Lieutenant, as I could plainly perceive, by several significant looks
which he cast both at the Count and myself. We had, however, gone too far to recede.
A narrow passage, in which it was impossible to stand upright, conducted us to an
iron trap-door, opening upon a second flight of steps. There we descended, and found
ourselves in a gloomy dungeon of a considerable size; dark as the shades of midnight,
and damp as the falling dews, when Sol withdraws his cheering rays. Fronting the
staircase, and on each side, appeared another formidable door.

-37-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

Advancing into the middle of this dismal place, the sage made a signal for us
to range ourselves round him. Hereupon, the ground was bestrewed with red sand, in
which he, as before, described three magic circles with his wand, and, opening his
books, began to read softly, with great agitation of body. Then throwing his book
upon the ground, he waved his wand in air, turned himself round with surprising
velocity, and thrice pronounced, with a loud and dreadful voice, the same mystic word
which he had formerly made use of.
The whole dungeon instantly appeared on fire: the forked lightnings,
reverberating from the wall, flashed with dreadful impetuosity in our faces, succeeded
with peals of thunder, that seemed to forebode the total dissolution of nature. Earth
felt the potent shock, and trembled to its centre: all the doors of our prison flew open
with a noise louder than the loudest thunder: above us and around us shook the Gothic
pile, threatening to overwhelm us beneath its ruins. At the same time, our lamp went
out, and in its stead was seen a blue sulphurous flame hovering over the steps of the
stone staircase, from whence it now began to roll itself down. Hollow groans, and the
dismal clanking of chains, invaded our ears. Terror, beyond the power of language to
describe, laid hold of us.
As the noise drew nearer, the sage placed himself with his face towards the
stone staircase, and soon we saw, with horror inexpressible, a grim and ghastly figure,
of uncommon magnitude, descending down the steps. A double row of chains were
fastened to his feet and hands, which, rattling at every step he took, grated harsh
infernal thunder in our ears. His garment appeared as if it had been newly dipped in
blood; his right eyeball was forced out of its socket, and the upper part of his skull
was shattered to pieces. Thus, horrible to behold, he approached, with furious mien,
the outer circles, foaming at the mouth, and grinding his teeth like the savage fierce
Hyrcanian tiger. The sage stretched forth his wand, and with authoritative voice
addressed the spectre: "Stay here, accursed wretch I" he said, "and tell me who thou
art?"
"A spirit of the damned!" replied the spectre, trembling.
Sage. "Hell, then, is fittest for thee! What business brings fcbee hither?
Ghost. "To seek deliverance from its flames."
Sage. "On what conditions hopest thou to attain this?"
Spirit. "None, none, alas! except my wife's forgiveness."
Sage. "Is that thy only hope? Then back to hell—back to thy proper
punishment—Away! fly! fly with thy infernal troop; nor ever more presume to violate
the peace of this neighbourhood. Behold yon mystic book, and tremble!"
At these words the sage pointed to the opposite door of the dungeon:
reluctantly the spectre bowed submission, and retreated. Instantly the vault appeared
the second time in flames. Louder and more awful roared the thunder: all the doors
fell to with horrible recoil: dreadful groans resounded in our ears: frightful apparitions
glided along the walls, which, shaking with the deep-mouthed thunder, threatened us
with immediate destruction.
A scene like this might well strike terror into the stoutest heart. We remained a
long time in a state of stupefaction, from which we however gradually recovered, as
the lightnings ceased to flash, and the hoarse rebellious thunder abated its fury. The
blue sulphurous flame no longer rolled itself down the stone staircase; darkness worse
than Egyptian enveloped us around, hideous groans and lamentations rendering the
gloomy silence of the place still more awful and tremendous.

-38-
 The Necromancer

These likewise gradually dying away, we were, if possible, still more terrified
and alarmed by the hoarse music of the winding horn, and the dashing of horses'
hoofs, which now resounded dreadfully in the echoing air. Roused by the well-known
sound, from the state of insensibility in which we lay, we discovered with horror our
hopeless situation. Bewildered in a gloomy subterraneous dungeon, surrounded with
impenetrable darkness, and nearly suffocated with a strong sulphurous vapour that
pervaded the place, it tended not a little to aggravate the horrors of the scene, that
each of us, ignorant of the presence of the rest, supposed himself deserted and alone.
Long time was it before I could recover sufficient fortitude to grope about me; nor
was I less perplexed which way to steer my doubtful course, than the mariner that
tosses without compass on the boundless deep, whilst night invests the pole, and not a
star is seen in the spacious firmament of heaven.
In this uncertainty I felt myself suddenly seized by the hand. Reason had not
yet resumed her empire over my mind; my imagination was still too much heated with
the strange scenes I had just witnessed, to form any cool deliberation; and fancying
myself actually under the influence of enchantment, I started back with a fearful
shriek, not less appalled than if the grisly king of terrors himself had laid his icy hand
upon me!
"Don't be alarmed," exclaimed the well-known voice of the Lieutenant; and
instantly my fears fell, like a heavy stone, from my heart. At the same time, I had the
pleasure to hear the Count speak. We presently joined him, and, holding fast by the
skirts of our coats, that we might not be separated again, endeavoured to grope our
way to the staircase.
In this design, after many fruitless attempts, we had at length the good fortune
to succeed. Never did panting lover mount the staircase leading to the apartment of his
mistress with greater alacrity than we displayed in climbing up these steps. But how
shall I express the horror and disappointment we experienced on finding the trap-door
fastened against us? The Lieutenant, who on this as on all other occasions acted as our
leader, after communicating this unwelcome intelligence, proposed that, instead of
giving ourselves up for lost, we should try our united strength in forcing it open.
Every nerve, accordingly, was strained to accomplish a purpose so devoutly to be
wished, but all in vain;—the door defied our utmost efforts.
Equally unsuccessful were we in our endeavours to make ourselves heard by
the Lieutenant's servant, whom we had left fast asleep in the hall on the arrival of the
pilgrim, as related before. In vain did we exalt our voices, till our very throats were
hoarse with bawling: in vain did echo repeat his name, in long reiterated peals,
through the spacious untenanted apartments: in vain, with hands and knees, did we
strike against the iron door, till the blood began to trickle down with the blows;—no
pleasing sound of human footsteps saluted our longing ears.
"Deuce take the lazy rascal!"—exclaimed the Lieutenant, tired with the double
fatigue of bawling and thumping against the door—"I question whether the last trump
itself would be powerful enough to arouse him; and we may fairly roar our lungs out
at this rate, without doing any manner of good. Rather let us sit down upon these
steps, and listen till he begins to walk about in search of us, as no doubt he will do
when he awakes, and finds us missing."
This advice was immediately put in execution; though, for my own part, I
must acknowledge that I had little hope of ever seeing the servant again. I judged it,
however, prudent to conceal as much as possible my suspicions, and the Lieutenant,
likewise dissembling his anxiety, began to discourse upon the strange scenes we had

-39-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

just witnessed; but, in spite of his utmost efforts, was not able to assume his wonted
gaiety and unconcern. The Count and myself made little or no reply, our thoughts
being too much engrossed with the probable danger of our present situation: the
Lieutenant soon found it impossible to disguise his apprehensions any longer; and in
this miserable state of horror and alarm we continued, as nearly as I can guess,
upwards of an hour, without exchanging a single word. Nothing but the gentle breath
of respiration disturbed the gloomy silence that reigned around.
Thus things continued, till the natural impetuosity of the Lieutenant could
contain itself no longer; wherefore, making a fresh attempt to engage us in
conversation, he demanded, whether we were all in a league with his servant, and
were sleeping for a wager? But though the agitation of our minds effectually repulsed
the most distant advances of sleep, we were equally incapable of joining in discourse,
and, urged by that strong propensity in human nature which renders man a genuine
Heautontimoroumenos,13 and inclines the mind to take a strange delight in tormenting
itself, and brooding over its misfortunes and calamities, we still remained silent for
nearly two hours longer, feasting our troubled thoughts with ideal and anticipated
sorrows.
"Damn me, if I hold it out any longer!" exclaimed the Lieutenant, in a kind of
frenzy, "that cursed rascal of mine can never sleep at such a devil of a rate as this. But
were he even as fast as our great-grandfather Adam when his precious rib was taken
from his side, I think I'll manage to open his eyes for him."
With these words he began to stamp and roar, as though his design had
actually been nothing less than to anticipate the day of general resurrection. The
Count and myself, seconding him with might and main in his pious intentions, joined
lustily in the rough chorus—but all to no purpose; no answer was returned—no tread
of footsteps could be heard. Exhausted with fatigue, we were fain to desist; and, once
more seating ourselves upon the stone steps, our patience was again put to the test, in
waiting till the servant should think proper to awake.
After two or three hours spent in fruitless expectation —
"I should be very sorry, gentlemen," began the Lieutenant, addressing us in a
firm indignant tone of voice, "to torture either you or myself with groundless
apprehensions. But, from the complexion of circumstances, our destruction in this
dismal dungeon appears inevitable. As men, however, who have nothing worse than
what already awaits us to dread, let us borrow hope and courage from despair; and
rather let us perish in a bold attempt to regain our liberty, than calmly submit to a
lingering death, which resolution and perseverance may still, perhaps, enable us to
escape. Though this proud door defies our utmost and united efforts, some other
opening may, perhaps, be found; at least, the chance, at any rate, is worth the trial."
Without waiting for our reply, the Lieutenant began to descend the steps. We
followed his example, and returned to the dismal dungeon from which we sought to
escape. Each taking a different direction, we groped about in quest of some friendly
avenue that might afford us egress.
In any other situation, the whimsical manner in which we frequently met
together might well have excited our risibility. Sometimes we laid hold of each other
by the feet and hands, or, running foul, came tumbling to the ground together. At

13
Heautontimoroumenos: The name given to one of Terence's plays. The word is
originally Greek, and signifies a Self-tormentor.

-40-
 The Necromancer

other times, our noses met in rude contact with the opposing walls, or our shins were
kicked bloody against the loose bricks and rubbish that lay scattered up and down the
place. But all our efforts proved abortive. Faint and exhausted, I at length stretched
myself out upon the ground, and, more concerned about the safety of the Count than
my own, began to load myself with bitter reproaches, for having, through my
indiscreet compliance, precipitated my pupil into inevitable ruin and destruction,—
into the necessity of dying a lingering death in a subterraneous dungeon.
Meanwhile that I was indulging these disagreeable reflections, the Lieutenant
and Count continued their researches, as I could easily distinguish by the sound of
their feet, which echoed dreadfully through the dismal vault. Neither of them spoke a
word, but groped about, for some time, in gloomy and profound silence. At length, the
steps of one of my unhappy comrades ceased to be heard.
"Where are you both?" cried the Lieutenant, greatly agitated and alarmed.
"For my part, I am here," was the reply;—"but where, pray, is the Count?"
We both joined in calling after him, and roared out at least as loud and lustily
as we had done some hours before in search of the Lieutenant's servant. The Count,
however, returned no manner of answer. My fears and apprehensions for his safety
were now doubly increased;—I was in a condition little short of positive distraction.
Suddenly a hollow rattling noise was heard at some distance, and instantly a faint
glimmering light began to diffuse itself in the corner of our dungeon.
Transported with this discovery, the Lieutenant and myself directed our steps
towards the place from whence the light seemed to proceed. We found, to our
unspeakable joy, one of the iron doors of our prison open, through which we entered
into a long passage, arched over with brick, at the extremity of which, at a
considerable distance, appeared the welcome light of day. This passage led us by a
gradual descent to a short flight of steps, opening into a spacious apartment, the
flooring of which was broken through near the entrance; and through this aperture it
was that the light issued. Looking down in hopes of making fresh discoveries, we saw
with horror the Count stretched at full length upon a heap of mouldering straw, to all
appearance lifeless and insensible.
The height from which he had tumbled might be about fourteen feet, but, had
it been double that number, I should not have hesitated a moment in jumping after
him. The Lieutenant followed my example, and, seizing the Count by the arms, we
began to shake him lustily with might and main, till he discovered symptoms of
remaining life. Our joint endeavours soon restored him to a perfect possession of his
faculties; when it appeared that, the fright excepted, he had sustained no material
injury. From his relation we learnt, that having accidentally groped his way to the
door on the left hand, and finding it yield to his push (most probably the lock had
failed to fly back, at the time when the doors of the dungeon shut upon us, as related
before), he continued to descend the passage, till, falling from the staircase upon the
floor of the apartment to which it led, the rotten boards, not able to sustain his weight,
had broken under him, and thereby precipitated him into the place where we now
found him.
This place, from its present appearance, had most probably been used in
former times for a stable. It had two round windows in the wall, secured with iron
gratings, through which the light could barely find admission. We perceived a wooden
door in one corner, against which we pushed with our united efforts, and presently the
rotten boards fell tumbling in pieces at our feet.

-41-
 Lorenz Flammenberg

A hollow subterraneous passage conducted us by a gradual ascent to a trap-

door, which opened into the garden at the back of the castle. Our joy at once more
beholding the welcome face of day is beyond the power of language to describe; we
embraced each other with the most transporting ardour, and mutual congratulations on
our narrow escape from the jaws of death; and, being already sufficiently acquainted
with the walks of the garden, which we explored on our first visit to the castle, we
easily regained the hall, where we had left the Lieutenant's servant fast asleep the
preceding night. Table and benches were still standing, but no signs of John could we
possibly discover.
"The fellow, no doubt, has made his escape to the inn!" was the Lieutenant's
opinion, after we had in vain made every apartment of the castle echo with his name.
We accordingly posted back to the inn, thanking God that he had not punished our
curiosity more severely, as we took our leave of the haunted castle.
On our arrival at the inn, we found our landlord encompassed with a whole
troop of the inhabitants of the village, who, it seems, had come to inquire after us; the
ghosts having made such a horrible uproar in the place the preceding night, that they
all, with one accord, gave us up for lost, and almost dreaded to inquire after our fate.
Great, therefore, was their astonishment at seeing us enter so suddenly into their
midst. Every one, as with common consent, put his hand to his hat, and reverently
bade us welcome, falling foul upon us, at the same time, with an infinite multitude of
questions relative to last night's adventures. This time, however, the Lieutenant had
little inclination to divert himself with practising upon their simplicity; his answers
were short and unsatisfactory, and, turning round to the landlord, he endeavoured to
put an end to their impertinence by inquiring after his servant.
"I have seen nothing of him since yesterday," was the reply.
"Are the horses safe?" demanded the Lieutenant.
"As safe and well as good stabling and the best of corn can make them: it is
hardly ten minutes since I fed them myself."
With a look that sufficiently indicated his surprise and embarrassment, the
Lieutenant regarded us steadfastly all round; then addressing himself to the peasants,
he offered them a handsome reward to explore the neighbourhood in search of his
servant. Every one testified his readiness to serve him, and eagerly sat out in the
pursuit; but, after a long and fruitless search, they all returned with the unwelcome
intelligence, that no traces of him were to be found.
As we had no hopes of seeing the lost fugitive any more, and were by no
means willing to repeat our visits to the haunted castle, we resolved to pursue our
journey immediately after dinner, and accordingly gave the necessary orders for our
departure. At parting, our landlord and the peasants could not refrain from tears, so
much were they prepossessed in our favour; we made them a decent present to drink
our healths, and set off with the good wishes of the whole neighbourhood.
The Lieutenant being better acquainted with the Black Forest than ourselves,
undertook to lead the way: we followed his guidance, and soon cleared this terrible
desert, without meeting with any fresh adventures. The following evening he took his
leave of us, being in haste to rejoin the party to which he belonged. We parted with
the utmost reluctance, and with mutual assurances of friendship and esteem. As he
gave us his hand, "Accept, gentlemen (he began), my sincerest thanks for your faithful
assistance and co-operation in encountering the most dreadful adventure I ever yet
had occasion to experience in the whole course of my life. Should I ever be so

-42-
 The Necromancer

fortunate as to obtain any further light respecting this intricate affair (and you may
rest assured that I will exert my utmost endeavours to obtain satisfactory information,
at some future period), I shall consider it my duty to communicate the particulars to
you. On your side I request the same, in case you should be beforehand with me in
your discoveries: meanwhile, accept of my best wishes, and whenever you call to
mind the twenty-third of September, 1750, let the Danish Lieutenant have a place
likewise in your remembrance."
After a journey of five days, we arrived at the seat of the Count of Einsiedel,
the father of my pupil.
And here (continued Hermann, addressing himself to Cronheim) I cease from
being myself an actor in the eventful scene, The remainder of this wonderful history,
as I have already informed you, is contained in a written account transmitted me many
years ago by my former pupil the Count of Einsiedel. You will find it replete with
events far more interesting and surprizing than any you have yet heard; and when you
come to the catastrophe, you will be forced to acknowledge, that however
extraordinary particular occurrences may seem ; however much they may appear to
favour of the marvellous, (and marvellous they certainly are) they contain nothing but
what may and will be satisfactorily explained, without any recourse to supernatural
agency."
Founded on fact, and sanctioned by experience, it is to be hoped that this
history will meet with a more favourable reception than exploded romances of giants
and enchanters, than fairy tales of Persian fables; which, by being destitute of
probability as well as truth, must prove insipid and disgusting to every reader of
sentiment and taste. For, if anything can render greater interest to a narrative, it is the
conviction that such things have actually occurred.

FINIS

-43-